Hoping for some degree of solitude and complete relief from women, Julian Caswell goes as plantation manager to the tropical island of Valeira. When he discovers a lone white girl in his fastness of men he is, not unnaturally, hostile, and Philippa Crane is commanded to leave. But Phil is young and unspoiled and full of pluck; she is also determined to remain on Valeira. She wins the first round against the cold, inflexible Julian, but as the guarded friendship grows her fortunes vary. Julian's experience of women has made him cruel; in spite of his unfailing generosity there is no piercing him. A heart-breaking problem for a girl who is falling in love. Inevitably climate and circumstances take a hand.
The story develops against the vivid back-cloth of equatorial Africa: steaming heat and vicious sunshine which too often rouse the worst in human nature. The characters, typical of their environment, are drawn with knowledge and compassion.