How can a people so gentle commit acts so cruel?
In May 1774, Captain Cook’s expedition returns to Raiatea—and finds paradise laced with paradox. At the center: the Errioys, a revered group of artists and priests whose vibrant performances hide a devastating truth.
As HMS Resolution sails away from Tahiti in May 1774, the cannon fire masks more than just ritual—it conceals heartache, temptation, and unresolved tensions. Onboard, a sailor dreams of paradise and dives for it. Onshore in Huaheine, Cook’s crew finds not only coconuts and courtesies but theft, ambush, and a mocking dance that wounds more deeply than any weapon.