Mac Maharaj, a South African on Indian descent, was a powerhouse of the South African Communist Party and African National Congress, and the unsung hero of the war waged to destroy the apartheid state and free South Africa's people. He was tortured and imprisoned with Nelson Mandela on Robben Island, and later spearheaded a top secret national insurrection, playing a leading role in the negotiations that led to the historic events of 1994. O'Malley's telling of Maharaj's story sheds new light on the battle against apartheid as well as the ongoing struggles of South Africa.