Do the tears of the lonely ever dry? Okikis world is awakened by a strange encounter with a mysterious cashew tree, a talking tree. He finds solace in the mysterious tree as he leans on its tutelage to battle the vicissitudes of his family life. He faces the challenge of an intolerable father, Adigun, who grossly abuses his wife and makes life unbearable for his three children. Amope, a humble-hearted mother, with pious extravagances, would not allow her children to show ill feelings toward their benefactor as she battles with epilepsy. All these culminate in the mind of Doja, Amopes first son, as he awaits the accurate time to pin his fathers callousness against the walls of vengeance.The stage is set when Okiki grasps education as his lasting panacea to end his tears. But darkness begins to roam around his flickering light of hope when his father escapes to the city with his secret lover, his brother is being pursued by a weight of guilty conscience, and his sisters marital dream is being smeared in their pursuit to salvage Amopes life.This is a heart-rending and inspiring story set in Nigerias post independence years, creating a perfect imagery of a failing nation through a dysfunctional family, while the vision for a glorious future is set in the eyes of a lonely child.