The book chronicles the life of an Austrian couple and their young daughter, who came to live in Tanganyika (now Tanzania) in the late 1920s. It describes how the head of the family, the future Government Sociologist of Tanzania, started out as a wealthy planter, and was then forced by the world economic situation into looking for other work, which took the family all over the country. It tells of their lives under very basic conditions and how his wife and daughter had to cope with their changed circumstances. The story also contrasts the life of the daughter in the African countryside with her experiences in a brand-new Mission school. The book shows how despite hardship, the family managed to make the best of their lives, having adventures along the way. It records the friendship they enjoyed with the Africans, and the interest the family had in their lives, their music and dance.