South African journalist Monica Brunetti is carjacked and shot after visiting an AIDS orphanage in Soweto. When she awakes, she is in an all-black hospital surrounded by languages she does not understand. The woman in the next bed, vivacious returned exile, Ella Nkhoma, takes her under her wing, and through their friendship, Monica is able to face her past and find purpose for her future. Ella leads Monica to believe that she is in hospital because of a bad bout of bronchitis, but she is actually suffering from AIDS, and though she brings a cheerful spirit to the hospital ward, she agonizes constantly over what will happen to her two young sons when she dies. The remarkable, transformative friendship between these two women allows them to find what they are looking for; both find their own unique road home.