The story picks up where Book 1 left off. Ronin Blue struggles to keep up with the Samoan village life and customs. Although he endures more physical and mental setbacks, he remains in the village to be with his new love, Aumua. But even their relationship becomes strained by cultural differences, unexpected village visitors, and, of course, the childhood ghoul, Scarlett, that inexorably haunts Blue. Eventually, Blue decides it is time to return home.
Before he tries to convince Aumua to come with him, she tells him that they are pregnant. This unanticipated event forces the young volunteer to remain in the village and to proudly embrace family life. He also decides to tolerate the many eccentric villagers who have and have not accepted him as one of their own- and still Scarlett haunts him. When a devastating and deadly natural disaster strikes the village, Blue finds himself in a battle for survival.
The horrifying incident becomes a life-changing portent that will leave his legacy within the village. Yet, despite the epiphanies, heroics, and luck, Scarlett will continue to haunt him. The dead have no sympathy for the living