The Quinine Pill is Bittersweet

<p>A well-dressed young woman disembarks in Port Banana in Belgian Congo with her two small children. She is there to meet her husband Andre who is established in Ruanda-Urundi the land of the tall lords and their sacred cows.</p><p></p><p>An enterprising businessman Andre had bought land to grow quinine a miracle cure for malaria. The journey home takes them across the Congo.</p><p></p><p>Adapting to Rwanda is challenging for his wife and children. The youngest Elsa acts out and becomes unmanageable even at school. It is decided to exile her to a convent in Europe; years of loneliness ensue. When she returns home years later she plots revenge on the teacher who caused her exile.</p><p></p><p>Suddenly life changes. All Europeans are repatriated losing everything they built. Elsa discovers she is free from all attachment. Her roots are no longer planted in the same ground; they are now planted where she chooses-freedom.</p>