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First-time feature filmmaker Salif Traore follows in the footsteps of master filmmaker Ousmane Sembene with this drama that follows a bastard who returns to his rural Mali village after being cast out many years back. Zanga (Fili Traoré) was born out of wedlock, making him a figure of scorn to the locals. Many years after being unceremoniously ejected from the village, Zanga returns wearing the façade of a successful engineer determined to usher his village into the modern era - much to the consternation of the superstitious villagers who previously shunned him. When a young villager drowns in a nearby river, the locals draw the conclusion that river goddess Faro is enraged by Zanga's return. But Zanga isn't about to be run off before he finds out the identity of his biological father and helps improve the lives of the local villagers. Meanwhile, as the tide of anger grows, the local chief makes the call for a sacrifice.