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Director/screenwriter S. Pierre Yameogo draws on the true story of one woman to craft this tale of a desperate mother and daughter at risk of succumbing to a sexist tradition based on localized superstition. A young village boy has died of meningitis, and Napoko Diarrha has been accused of eating his soul. Napoko's husband feels dishonored by the fact that his wife resisted the prospect of marrying off the couple's daughter, and he has struck back at her by spreading a vicious rumor that will almost certainly result in her death. Her fate in the hands of the village elders, Napoko flees to the nearby town of Ouagadougou before her trial can take place. But as Napoko's life force fades, her daughter grows stronger with each passing day. Later, the young girl sets out to Ouagadougou in search of her missing mother, and the pair attempts a daring escape from their male-dominated society.