Thirteen-year-old Ben Tracey is looking forward to spending the summer in the Democratic Republic of Congo where his father has been hired to examine the valuable mineral Coltan thats being mined there. They soon realise that the people living in the village near the mine are frightened & it doesnt take long for Ben & his father to discover why: behind the door of every hut there is at least one person dying or seriously ill & no one seems to be doing anything to help. As Bens father falls ill its up to Ben & his new friend Halima to try & tell the government whats going on so the village can be isolated before the sickness spreads further. Will they be able to prevent disaster?