Unable to talk to his wife who is in solitary confinement, Mike buries himself in his music. His work becomes his only lifeline. In an Amadeus moment he starts to translate Handel's Messiah into four African languages. And then Sheila loses their child in prison, Mike's school is burnt down, and his treasured translation, the one thing that kept him together, is taken by the police. Mike has lost everything. His music, his child, his soul children (his students) – and possibly even the relationship with his wife since Sheila is released and their relationship is taking strain. In despair, Mike accepts an offer to teach music in Bophotswana, even though he knows this will make him a pariah in his own community. This is after all the community that has burnt down his school and instruments – and the state that killed his unborn child, and imprisoned his wife.
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