Soon after Keturah came to forbidding Hawthorne as governess to the shy child Adrianne, certain questions haunted her. Why did the regal mistress of Hawthorne become a recluse to care for Adrianne, whom she obviously did not love? Who was Adrianne? To whom did she belong? And what was the secret of the relationship between the grim master of Hawthorne, the woman, and the child?
Set against the backdrop of the 1920s and 1930s, this novel chronicles Richard Halliburton's final adventure as he attempts to sail across the Pacific in a Chinese junk. Renowned for his daring exploits, Halliburton grapples with the constraints of his identity, concealing his homosexuality while seeking to live life to the fullest. His quest reflects a universal desire to escape the ordinary and embrace exhilarating experiences, capturing the essence of adventure and the pursuit of freedom amidst life's limitations.