Dossouye was an ahosi, a woman soldier from the kingdom of Abomey. Journeying on her warrior bull Gbo, she stops at the Kambi river to bathe. Naked and defenseless, she is confronted by two daju, thieves marauding as mercenaries. They are pointing spears at her. Immediately Dossouye rears her bull and takes out one of their horses, fighting valiantly until she manages to take hold of a spear and kill one of the daju. She sees a streak of gold fly by as he falls. The other daju, lying in the muck, begs her to spare him and asks her where the moso went. She presumes to moso is the golden object that flew by her and orders the daju to retreat.

Just after the daju leaves, another stranger approaches on the other side of the river - a bela, a song-teller playing the kalimba. He assures her he is no danger to her and thanks her for fighting the daju, who he is certain would have accosted him for his valuable songs. Gimmile the bela asks if Dossouye will travel with him as he is lonely, and she admits privately that she is too. They mount Gbo and travel to Gimmile's house, carved out of a boulder. Gimmile tells her the story of his powerful song - another bela beat him out of jealousy for his beautiful playing, and in his anger Gimmile went to the accursed god Legba to receive Baraka, the god's mysterious power. He was able to render the other bela voiceless. But Baraka came with a curse - every song Gimmile sings comes true, making him a sought-after and vulnerable man.

Gimmile plays on the kalimba and Dossouye finds herself undressing. The two make love. In the morning Dossouye wakes to find the room in ruins and the daju's sword at her throat. He asks for the moso again, which Dossouye finds - she realizes it is a statue of Gimmile. The two begin fighting, and just as the daju deals a death blow Gimmile throws himself between them. Dossouye kills the daju and Gimmile confesses to her that he is indeed the moso, he is cursed only to come to life in moments of great emotion. But now the kalimba is broken, and this death is his final one. Dossouye goes back to the Kambi and throws the moso into the water, leaving with Gimmile's song in her heart.