Tropic is the tale of Benjamin and Summer, whose families are among the first to join the fledgling program known as the Peace Corps. The tale begins in the U.S. as the families prepare to travel to Hawai'i for their initial indoctrination, then to Norfolk Island for training. Assigned to the incomparable islands of the South Pacific, Summer and Benjamin encounter adventure and romance in Fiji, Tonga, Samoa, Mo'orea, Bora Bora and Tahiti. Profiles of indigenous islanders are woven through the story of the two families' struggle to make a difference in the underdeveloped island nations of the South Pacific, while remaining ever mindful of J.F.K.'s stated mission: "To promote world peace and friendship through a Peace Corps, which shall make available to interested countries and areas men and women of the United States qualified for service abroad and willing to serve, under conditions of hardship if necessary, to help the peoples of such countries and areas in meeting their needs for trained manpower."