The Hotel des Mille-Collines is a magnet for a privileged group of residents living in Kigali. As civil unrest threatens what little order remains in the city, Valcourt, a Canadian journalist, falls for a beautiful Hutu waitress, Gentille. When news of the trouble reaches the hotel, both Valcourt and Gentille speak out against the brutal attacks, but are met with apathetic UN forces, corrupt policemen and the blindness of western media.

A Sunday at the Pool in Kigali is a powerful political novel, a poignant love story and a stirring hymn to humanity.