Abundance

Julia, an American doctor, has left a privileged upbringing behind to treat patients in African villages, hoping her training will matter there. Carl, another American, has his own reasons for living in West Africa. He grew up Black in the United States, an experience that pushed him abroad, and he now works for an international aid organization. Their partnership as colleagues slowly becomes something more just as Liberia sinks into a violent civil war.

During that conflict, child soldiers abduct Julia on a remote jungle road, while U.S. Marines pull Carl out of the country against his wishes. Back home, he seeks out Levin, a physician from Rhode Island and Julia's mentor, whose idealism from the 1960s has been worn down by the course of events. A series of encounters with a thief and then a smuggler pushes him toward the risky task of locating and freeing Julia.

The novel is a thriller that draws on real events.