The author is a British doctor and public health expert who was sent to Sudan in 2003 as a UN representative; peace between the government and the opposition forces seemed imminent. His biography helps to understand his way of thinking and acting. He was born in India in 1955 and experienced poverty at close hand; with a scholarship, he studied in the United Kingdom. He learned honesty from his family from an early age. His mission in Sudan seemed manageable. But the reality he encountered was quite different.
His mission as a doctor was disrupted by a conflict in the west, in Darfur; paramilitary forces, with government support, were ruthlessly destroying settlements inhabited by people of colour. If the situation was not stopped, a genocide would occur. As a UN representative, the author tries to ensure that the organisation prevents the crisis he sees approaching. Taking no active side in an internal conflict while trying to prevent a massacre is not easy. The head of the mission must have information from the ground that provides him with reliable intelligence for his work. He travels, talks to different sides and takes care not to be spied on by the government.
On his arrival, there were already attempts to involve him in corruption. He refused to be manipulated; he had experience of other crises he had witnessed. He manages to obtain help from people who risk their professional careers, but they are few. During his travels through Western countries and at the UN headquarters, he perceives that they have information about what is happening, but avoid getting involved; they want him to limit himself to being an observer, even though he foresees a massacre. Mukesh Kapila knows the risks he is taking, both to his professional career and to his life. He has received threats, attempts on his life, and so on. When, in order to carry out necessary tasks, he steps outside the role assigned to him, his days in Sudan are numbered. Either the UN will withdraw him or the government will request his replacement. As a last resort, he seeks to mobilise public opinion and gives interviews to the media.