Taipei, 1895. James Burnaby, a down-on-his-luck, ex-barrow boy from the East End of London is trying to make a living as a tea trader in the far-off land of Formosa (Taiwan).
He is faced with numerous challenges, however, chief among them navigating the tricky waters of the alien world around him and the well-heeled British trading elite who view his sudden arrival on the island ten years ago with immense suspicion.