Ashes Blown in the Wind

This is a story of redemption, discovery and love by a once selfish stranger, and the simple joy, kindness and generosity of spirit by one man for all mankind.

Paul Tressler is a typical New York banker: energetic, bright, driven and self-absorbed. He arrives in Johannesburg, South Africa, to evaluate a business deal. After an alcohol-fueled dinner at a restaurant specializing in dining on South African animals, he is accosted by several men who are intent on killing him for eating the likes of giraffe, rhino and antelope. Suddenly, his assailants are silenced by a large man who takes Tressler to his home to care for him.

His rescuer, Bongani Okonjo, otherwise known as "Benjamin", is a giant of a man whom Tressler describes as his "Black Angel". Tressler becomes obsessed with the need to repay this man for his kindness and selflessness. Benjamin continues to refuse any payment, saying that all humans are connected and owe a duty of care to each other. Tressler is told that Benjamin is a Sangoma, a special person whose spirit touches every person regardless of their color or station in life.

In the course of a conversation, Tressler learns that Benjamin's family died in the riots in the Soweto Township in 1976, and that he is dying from AIDS. From that moment on, Tressler is consumed with helping Benjamin in his dying days. Tressler's life is transformed by his "Black Angel" realizing that life is more than power or the sum of one's bank account.