Alex Drydon retired as a rifleman after the Napoleonic wars. In 1821 he sails across the world searching for his pirate brother Bram. His quest leads him to the islands of New Zealand where musket wars ravage Maori tribes. Less than one-hundred foreigners live in the Bay of Islands. Most are missionaries, some are sailors, a few are escaped convicts. Alex finds himself fighting epic battles alongside Maori warriors and chiefs. In a land beset by war, slavery, and cannibalism, he struggles for survival. He fights also for a home, family and friends, tales he writes of to his brother, Hugh, in India.