The novel follows the parallel adventures and intertwining fates of its protagonists. Ned Rise is a luckless and purely fictional petty criminal traveling with the historically based explorer
Mungo Park through various locales in
Scotland and
England, then on two
Imperial British expeditions into
Western Africa to explore the
Niger River.
Water Music is loosely based on historical sources, including Mungo Park's 1799 book,
Travels in the Interior Districts of Africa. Its foreword admits that Boyle does not claim historical accuracy nor faithfulness to dubious contemporary accounts. In
Library Journal, Michael Rogers says, "With his signature bawdy humor, Boyle presents 18th-century adventurers Ned Rise and Mungo Park, who join forces to make their way to the source of Africa's Niger River." ==Publication==