The book chronicles the life of Kofi, a successful trader from the Ashante people of Ghana, on the west coast of Africa. Kofi was captured, chained along with other captives, and shipped across the Middle Passage to Berbice, Guyana. While enchained in the belly of the ship, Kofi worked through a myriad of emotions from his feelings of betrayal towards his captors, and his fear of the unknown. He also reflected on his family and their history and culture. Kofi’s customs, practiced despite the tyranny of his slave masters, are evident in Guyanese society today.

The author, Dr. Walter Anthony Rodney (1942-1980), was a Guyanese historian and activist, who wrote the book to teach African children in the diaspora about their history and their ancestors’ journey to the Americas.