The central government in Trinitas can't control the outer island. But then neither can the British and French masters. The natives of Kristi, supported and abetted by some of the hapkas and colons of two nationalities, make a grab for independence from the rest of their Pacific island group. On their tiny island, where blood and tradition are as mixed as loyalties and interests, their revolution is short-lived. Yet it swallows the lives of a number of inhabitants - from the old-time planters Salway and Duchard, to the opportunist Bonser, and the once mighty yeremanu, Tommy Narota himself. Salway's grandson Gavi unwittingly gets caught up in Bonser's plans and, in a test of identity too risky for one so young, forfeits his own peace.
