In 1938, war is looming in East Africa, and William Boot, retiring young country squire and author of a London newspaper's wildlife column ("Feather-footed through the plashy fen passes the...

In 1938, war is looming in East Africa, and William Boot, retiring young country squire and author of a London newspaper's wildlife column ("Feather-footed through the plashy fen passes the questing vole...") is mistaken for his cousin John Boot and sent to Ishmaelia as a foreign correspondent. Boot reluctantly sets off from Boot Magna Hall, complete with a collapsible canoe. Out of his depth and bewildered by the orders he gets from London, he takes the adventure in his stride and accidentally beats the rest of the world's press to the big story. Back home in England, Lord Copper, owner of the Daily Beast, makes up his mind to turn Boot into a national hero.