In 1964, during the Far Eastern war euphemistically called 'Confrontation, ' British Royal Marine Lieutenant Charles Kirton makes a most extraordinary discovery amid the dense mangrove swamps bordering a river in Borneo. From this highly charged opening sequence, the story flashes back a century to 1867, revealing the truth behind this strange event, when young Henry Kirton, second officer of the auxiliary steamship River Tay, is dumped ashore in Singapore, badly injured by a fall from the rigging of his ship.