by Marlene St Rose

In mid-nineteenth century India, the Sepoy Mutiny and subsequent massacre of Indian soldiers by the British led to the devastating displacement of thousands of families. Ackbar Khan, the son of a slain Sepoy, is looking for a new beginning for his young family and, with harshly limited opportunities in his homeland, is forced to consider a new life in the Caribbean as an indentured laborer. Sacrificing his heritage and ties to his beloved homeland, Ackbar risks everything he holds dear and uproots his family on a voyage to Trinidad, hoping for a better future than the poverty and degradation facing his native people. His young sons, Sanwar and Manwar, growing up in Trinidad, fearlessly undertake different paths in this new world, and forge lives for themselves and their families - always remaining bound by their love for one another. Told across the last stage of the 19th century and the turn of the 20th century, and spanning generations, this is the poignant story of the Khan family, struggling to survive and establish roots for their children in a foreign land against the riveting backdrop of industrial development, world wars and Christianity.