1913. Piet Barol and Stacey are navigating the turbulence and opportunities of colonial South Africa in a quest for comfort and riches. The Land Act has turfed thousands of black families out of their homes and Piet is appalled by their treatment.

But after five years of decadent living, Piet and Stacey are short of cash and in need of wood for the furniture business they have founded. So Piet sets off to pursue a fabled tree, a journey which will take him deep into the homelands of the Xhosa clan who believe that the spirits of their ancestors reside in the magical trees.

When charm and wit fail, Piet resorts to darker tactics to get what he wants. And this sets off a chain of events that will put him on a collision course with a power greater than any he knows: Mother Nature.