When farmer Mu’azu Bawa sets out for a wedding, he has no idea that his life is about to take a drastic turn. Along one of the most dangerous highways in northeastern Nigeria, he is taken hostage at gunpoint and soon finds himself a prisoner alongside nine others in the stronghold of notorious terrorist group Boko Haram. Nigeria has long grappled with an epidemic of abductions thanks to the decades-long war between the extremists and the government. As news of the abductions goes viral, word reaches a young woman named Ummu Kalthum. At just 25 years old, she has already spent years negotiating for the freedom of individuals taken by Boko Haram, and she knows that the stakes are high: these captors have a history of mercilessly beheading hostages when their demands aren’t met. But with the families of the hostages desperate and unable to raise funds, she is tasked with her biggest challenge yet – to negotiate the release of all 10 captives without paying a ransom.

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