Monkey Bread retraces the trajectory of a man who tries to come to terms with his past. Chris James was born in Dakar, Senegal. Abandoned by his mother at the age of 4, he is abused by priests running an orphanage until he is rescued, through adoption, by an American diplomat named Vernon. Chris, angry and withdrawn as a child, becomes an adult with a skewed sense of values and a darkened vision of the world. After Vernon's death, Chris returns to Senegal in the hope of finding his mother and solving the mystery shrouding his childhood. After setting up a detective agency, he is hired by a shadowy businessman named Ibrahim Sow to help solve the kidnapping of his son, Zak. In their desperate quest, Chris and Ibrahim unleash an unprecedented level of violence on the sun-baked city streets. The case strikes a deep chord in Chris. It is an opportunity to let loose, and then confront, his inner demons. It also provides him with insights into a society and a culture that, though his own by birth, remain largely alien. The challenges Chris faces mirror those burdening Senegal, a country beautiful by the grace of nature and blessed with a profoundly humane people, yet mired in poverty, corruption, and political strife.