Telma Rocha

The Angolan Girl Telma Rocha

It's 1975 in Lobito, Angola, where Rosa, Leo, and their children are trapped in their home as militants battle for power. After thirteen years Portugal lost the War of Independence, now civil war rages on. The Carvalho family has given up hope for peace in their beloved homeland. A plan to build a life in Canada sets into motion. But their journey won't be easy.

Rosa takes comfort in the knowledge that her life has never been easy. Memories of her childhood spent bouncing between wealth and servitude, longing for a mother she couldn't know, and a naïve adolescence cut short fuel Rosa's courage to make good on a promise she made long ago.

After five straight days the gunshots have quieted; the time to flee is now. Which would you choose if memories and a change of clothes were all you could take?