In “The Prodigal Returns,” Chimwemwe, a Malawian, returns home after 6 years studying at a university in Scotland, with a strong calling to use her new knowledge to help the people in her village and a keen desire to marry her fiancé, Thoko. Her first reaction when she steps onto the tarmac at the airport is joy at being home. But as she deals with the typical African heat, noise, and chaos at the airport, she realizes that, despite herself, she has changed in six years, and things that she would scarcely have noticed when she left are now bothersome. When Thoko is late in picking her up, to his complete surprise, she is angry. Thoko, on his part, is upset by her makeup and her elaborately dressed hair. If Chimwemwe wants to realize her goals of marrying Thoko and working in the village, she has to make compromises and ask Thoko to do the same. Fortunately, love of family and of Thoko triumphs.
