John is a young man who can’t find happiness and doesn’t know why. He has one image in his mind of how to solve his problem - to visit Africa. After saving the needed money to make the trip, he gets to Africa and meets Ma Ma Gombe. The adventures of John and Ma Ma fill the rest of the story.

The adventures and cast of people which the couple experience make for good reading, but the underlying meaning is what makes this a great book. The story line is simple, but the real story is in the implications the tale suggests. We are all encouraged to live up to our potential, or the Big Five as John and Ma Ma refer to them in the story. If we do this, we will be more likely to live the life meant for us, and the one we want, rather than the life other people have chosen for us. Much was made of John’s visit to Africa, but the reader needs to formulate his own dream. That dream might be found half way around the world or in his own back yard. The important thing is to have the dream.