In a rural Kenyan village, nineteen-year-old Hannah Blake labors alongside her American parents to provide healthcare for a tight-knit tribal community steeped in culture and tradition. But it is impossible for her to deny her true north—her spiritual connection to the wild creatures of the African savanna.
When a lion cub is orphaned, Hannah instinctively comes to its rescue and the two form an unbreakable bond. Her unbridled passion to protect animals leads to a crossroads with a poacher, creating a dangerous enemy and unintentionally setting off a chain of events that leaves her life in shambles.
Forced to flee to America, she faces an unknown future. Alone in a foreign land and surrounded by cold hearted strangers, she is certain she will never know happiness again, until she finds comfort in the companionship of a handsome young college professor. Hannah senses a powerful shared connection with Sam Daniels, but since he is both her teacher and a taken man, anything more than friendship seems unthinkable.
In her journey beyond the savanna, Hannah must find a reason to believe, a way to forgive, and the courage to trust in her wild heart again.
Maryann Martinsen is an animal lover and mother of three from Layton, Utah. In 2016, Maryann decided that was “the year,” and set a goal to finish and publish the book she had been working on for more than a decade. She joins us for the hour today.
