Nathaniel, a sea captain who left Salem penniless, returns wealthy after a seven-year absence. With one exception, the pleasure of the puritanical members of his family is marred when they discover he has brought a Malay wife and their two children back with him. Deeply as he loves Oparre, the princess who has shared danger and misfortune with him, Nathaniel cannot but feel the invisible finger of scorn pointed at him by the townspeople, or avoid hearing their whispered comments on his unusual alliance. For Oparre's sake he lends them money to consolidate his social position, but they find this a weapon to be used against him. The travel of the man's soul when faced with a sudden choice between dishonor and the loss of his property or the loss of his dark-skinned family, and the magnificent self-sacrifice of the woman who has risked all she has for love have been clearly and forcefully presented.