This story takes place on the colorful continent of Africa, in a big, beautiful country called Ethiopia. Far in the east, high up in the Ethiopian Highlands, the mountains rise tall and green, their peaks wrapped in soft clouds. In these mountains lies a bright, green valley where a young girl dreams of one day touching the sky.
The valley is full of life-sparkling streams twist and twirl through the fields, and tiny villages rest among the trees like little treasures. In one of those villages, called Luuco (say it like Luch'o), lived a girl named Saba. Her home was a cozy hut with a soft grass roof and strong walls made from wooden poles, woven bamboo, and smooth, cool mud.