In the 1950s and 1960s, the Courtney family's fortunes are bound to a South Africa hardening under apartheid. Shasa Courtney moves through wealth, politics and danger, while Moses Gama builds resistance against an oppressive state. Their private histories and rival ambitions converge amid strikes, secret organisations, government repression and family betrayal. Wilbur Smith combines political upheaval with adventure and personal conflict, showing how love and vengeance are shaped by a country divided against itself.