The Great Ponds is about a ruinous feud between the two villages of Chiolu and Aliakoro. For years, the village of Chiolu had fished in the ponds of Wagaba (alluded to in the book title) without hindrance. However, when the neighbouring village of Aliakoro starts to encroach on the pond, war breaks out between the two villages, as the people of Chiolu seek to protect their ownership of the ponds. The story traces its way back to the pre-colonial era, a time when Africans believed in the power of magic and supernatural healing possessed by the traditional healers (Dibiase, as used in the book) and divine intervention K. appease the gods.