Retiring after forty years in finance, Manger Mike Giles clears his head of money matters by living on a rural family compound in the coastal village of Tujering in The Gambia. He arrives with little real knowledge of the subsistence lifestyle of these people but is quickly drawn into a simple community of friendship and sharing. He writes home about the stark contrasts in standards of living and, as a banker, cannot resist cost comparisons proving beyond doubt money does not buy happiness. New found personal experiences are tempered by benevolence to others' needs in daily life, which he and his wife encounter upon subsequent visits.