It's impossible to give the full meaning of this great book in this small space, so please go to the link below and get the full details. This novel is the story of the Price family and the time they spent in the Congo as missionaries. One theme of the book is about exercising one's free will. Nathan Price, the husband and father, looks down on the Africans and rules his own family with an iron fist. His wife, Orleanna, tells the story except for two chapters. It also tells the story through the Price family of the attitudes of the American government toward the newly-independent Congo and how the U.S. used the Africans for the benefit of the United States. Therefore, white supremacy is also a theme. We are introduced to the daughters of the Price family, and their attitudes toward the Africans reflect the different attitudes of the world toward Africa and Africans. The experiences of the Price family shape their lives, and Orleanna finally gets the courage to leave her husband in the Congo and go back to the U.S. She loses her youngest daughter while living in Africa. Overall, this novel shows the impact foreign countries have over colonial territories.