Left an orphan after the influenza epidemic in British East Africa in 1919, thirteen-year-old Rachel is tricked into assuming a deceased neighbor's identity to travel to England, where her only dream is to return to Africa and rebuild her parents' mission hospital.
A retelling of the tale in which a kind and well-respected doctor is transformed into a murderous madman by taking a secret drug of his own creation. Illustrated notes throughout the text explain the historical background of the story.