This documentary centers on Wangari Mathaai, the first African woman to receive the Nobel peace prize for her efforts in the Green Belt Movement. After completing her studies, her return to the farmwomen among whom she grew up opened her eyes to the many problems afflicting Kenya: soil depletion, lack of fresh drinking water, childhood malnutrition, besides the even greater emergencies of deforestation and illiteracy shrouded in impenetrable economic interests and kept hidden by Daniel Arap Moi's regime. Using rare archive materials and interviews, the film retraces the battles Mathaai fought to attract attention to these issues in her country.