Dr. Gaynor works in Chitipa, Malawi, as the head of one of the only hospitals in the area. She consistently asserts to herself and to others that she is there to help- which she does to the best of her abilities under the circumstances of the area she is in. A while before her mugging and murder, a boy called Hastings steals her coin purse. Then, on the same day, a father brings his son dying of rabies to her who she is unable to save. She is a doctor, but the death of this child who was so full of fight disturbed her. One of her assistants tells her it is God's plan, a statement that Dr. Gaynor does not appreciate. Because of her disturbed feeling, she decides to make a call to her mother a few days earlier than the time she usually would. Her conversation with her mother, who was a stroke victim, is short and confusing, ending abruptly when her mother drops the phone. Her mother's aid tells her that her mother isn't feeling well. Two days later, Dr. Gaynor's mother dies. Dr. Gaynor gets the vague sense that somehow her call caused her death, but dismisses the baseless idea. On her way back from the funeral, she is buying medical supplies to bring back with her. Hastings robs her again, this time with three other boys and knives. Dr. Gaynor is killed for supplies that are mostly useless to Hastings. Hastings sells the medicines that he took from Dr. Gaynor, then moves on to owning his own pharmacy, that eventually grows into a chain. He marries the daughter of a highly placed politician and had plenty of children, all according to God's plan.