November 1805. In the midst of a blizzard in Montreal, a young man and his father stumble across an old man, unconscious in the snow. Scattered around him are the petals of winter flowers and a journal containing an incredible story…
It is 1770, and following the expeditions to the New Worlds, the colonies are experiencing a botanical gold rush amidst a new craze for exotic flowers. Scientists want to study them, traders want to sell them and the rich and royal want to decorate their homes with them. Adventurers and botanists are dispatched to plunder the tropical forests of the far-flung colonies.
Francis Masson, a timid Scottish under-gardener at Kew Gardens had never hoped for adventure, until he is tricked into applying for an expedition on the Resolution with the great Captain Cook. His mission is to find and bring back a beautiful exotic flower to be named after the Queen. Masson knows that he is hopelessly underqualified, but duty to his King and Country, and most of all, the promise of wealth, renown and respectability are too much to refuse. Arriving in South Africa, amidst a difficult political situation, Masson accepts the first offer of help he receives – from the shady merchant Adrian Schelling and the slave trader Willmer. This proves a costly mistake, and Masson soon finds himself abandoned and under suspicion for espionage in the South African tropical forests. By chance, he encounters the eccentric and fearless Doctor Carl Thunberg. Masson isn’t sure whether to trust him but knows he has no choice, and together they set off to find the flower with Schelling hot on their heels. But little does Masson know that he will make a far more precious discovery; one that will make him question everything he holds dear.
It is 1770, and following the expeditions to the New Worlds, the colonies are experiencing a botanical gold rush amidst a new craze for exotic flowers. Scientists want to study them, traders want to sell them and the rich and royal want to decorate their homes with them. Adventurers and botanists are dispatched to plunder the tropical forests of the far-flung colonies.
Francis Masson, a timid Scottish under-gardener at Kew Gardens had never hoped for adventure, until he is tricked into applying for an expedition on the Resolution with the great Captain Cook. His mission is to find and bring back a beautiful exotic flower to be named after the Queen. Masson knows that he is hopelessly underqualified, but duty to his King and Country, and most of all, the promise of wealth, renown and respectability are too much to refuse. Arriving in South Africa, amidst a difficult political situation, Masson accepts the first offer of help he receives – from the shady merchant Adrian Schelling and the slave trader Willmer. This proves a costly mistake, and Masson soon finds himself abandoned and under suspicion for espionage in the South African tropical forests. By chance, he encounters the eccentric and fearless Doctor Carl Thunberg. Masson isn’t sure whether to trust him but knows he has no choice, and together they set off to find the flower with Schelling hot on their heels. But little does Masson know that he will make a far more precious discovery; one that will make him question everything he holds dear.
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