In 1849, Honolulu town, newly named the Hawaiian kingdom's capital, is caught halfway between worlds. The former backwater is now an international port for whalers and merchants, and Honolulu is where men go to seek their fortunes - until the discovery of gold in California changes everything.
Amid these early days of the Gold Rush, whaleship captain Daniel Ellis and Takao, his boatsteerer, sail into Honolulu for a brief stopover. When things don't go as planned, they'll need to turn to someone for help. Who better than Takao's brother, Shima, who now lives just outside Honolulu, working as a physician and well connected within the Hawaiian elite?
But Shima has changed, too, and he has his own secrets. In this sequel to "The Sea-God at Sunrise," Ellis and Takao may find that the biggest battles they'll face are not at sea against monsters of the deep, but in the harbors and valleys of Oahu against friend and brother.