The story of a young African boy who is brought to Schweitzer's clinic for an infection in his foot. There, he comes to admire the doctor and wishes to become a doctor himself. But before he can do so, there is much that he has to learn and unlearn. He finds a place and a set of duties at the hospital only to be sent away by Dr. Schweitzer when his foot has healed. Years later, the boy returns a doctor, and later still, a teacher of doctors.