River of Smoke

In 1838, the Ibis, carrying a cargo of convicts and labourers, falls victim to a cyclone in the Bay of Bengal. Among the survivors are Neel, a pampered raja charged with embezzlement; Paulette, a French orphan masquerading as a deck-hand; and Deeti, a widowed poppy grower fleeing India with her lover. Also caught in the storm is Anahita, owned by the wealthy Parsi merchant Bahram Modi, which holds the largest consignment of opium ever to leave India. And the Redruth, which carries Frederick Penrose, a horticulturist determined to track down China's rare and priceless plants. They will all converge in Canton, on the edge of China, as the Opium War begins to rage.