Upon hearing a rumor of a twelve-year-old girl, who had killed a lion with her bare hands, Dr. Elizabeth Stanton feels compelled to investigate the elusive Samburu tribe in Kenya’s Rift Valley. In 1909, after establishing that she and her guide are no threat, Elizabeth is escorted into a mud hut, where the injured girl, Kito, awaits. Later, the doctor uncovers the events that led to the tribe’s situation-a terrible drought and rinderpest have devastated the landscape, while a rogue male lion has attached itself to the tribe as a food source. The warriors’ attempts to kill the lion have all been futile. With dreams and visions of successfully defeating this foe, Kito is reluctant to embrace her destiny…until the mane of death steals someone close to her.