an impure angel

In 2002, beneath the partially rotted floorboards of a room in the once-luxurious África Hotel in the Mozambican city of Beira, a man discovers an old notebook; on its cover he reads a name and a date: "Hanna Lundmark, 1905", but the notebook is written in a language he doesn't recognize. In 1904, almost a century before this strange discovery, a woman from inland Sweden wishes a better life for her firstborn, Hanna, and decides to send her to live with relatives on the coast. Thus begin the adventures of this courageous young woman whose path leads her to sign on as a cook on a ship bound for Australia. However, before reaching her destination, Hanna disembarks in Lourenco Marques (the former name of Maputo) and, ill, finds herself at O Paraíso, the region's most famous brothel. Little does she suspect that she will end up running the establishment, populated by a colorful cast of characters such as its owner, senhor Vaz, the ruthless Boer Fredrik Prinsloo, women like Felicia or Belinda Bonita, or the chimpanzee Carlos.

In 2002, beneath the partially rotted floorboards of a room in the once-luxurious África Hotel in the Mozambican city of Beira, a man discovers an old notebook; on its cover he reads a name and a date: "Hanna Lundmark, 1905", but the notebook is written in a language he doesn't recognize. In 1904, almost a century before this strange discovery, a woman from inland Sweden wishes a better life for her firstborn, Hanna, and decides to send her to live with relatives on the coast. Thus begin the adventures of this courageous young woman whose path leads her to sign on as a cook on a ship bound for Australia. However, before reaching her destination, Hanna disembarks in Lourenco Marques (the former name of Maputo) and, ill, finds herself at O Paraíso, the region's most famous brothel. Little does she suspect that she will end up running the establishment, populated by a colorful cast of characters such as its owner, senhor Vaz, the ruthless Boer Fredrik Prinsloo, women like Felicia or Belinda Bonita, or the chimpanzee Carlos.