After attending school in England, Obam (Sidney Poitier) returns to his African homeland where he is elected to the legislative council. One of the only natives on the council, Obam soon finds himself caught in an impossible battle. On one side are the interests of the British colonists, on the other are those of his own people. It will take the help of Obam's wife, Renee (Eartha Kitt), and sympathetic missionary Bruce Craig (John McIntire) to keep the situation from boiling over.