It is 1872. Lislei is a young French woman escaping from the bloody turmoil of the Paris commune; Kader is an Arab prince fleeing from the revolt of the Saharan tribesmen in Algeria. Together they succeed in boarding an old sailing ship bound for Australia. With them is Tridarir, an orphan, who is the last representative of his people, the Tasmanian Aboriginals.

Set against the backdrop of British colonial expansion, Benmalek masterfully reveals the international upheavals of the nineteenth-century. From disorder in France to the bright open shores of Australia this is an epic novel of passion and high adventure culminating in a deeply moving and extraordinary love story.