Johnny Lamb couldn't stop living long enough to clear his name of a murder charge in Connecticut. Instead, he took a whaling ship and wound up in the Sandwich Islands (now called Hawaii) not only as a successful merchant of goods and liquor but a common-law king to the reigning Queen Kaahumanu. He had a superb lust for life which he rarely denied, but he had respect for people, their rights, and their beliefs. He had become informal lord of the exotic Islands, master of their fate as well as his own-when he met Ann Mathewson.Ann was the very young widow of one of America's first Christian missionaries in Hawaii. She was more strong-willed than dedicated, more feminine than religious. One look at Captain Johnny and Ann knew that her life would be worldly.But the real, contagious excitement is in the mixture of explosive personalities when Ann determines to convert the Queen-through the lord of the isles, Johnny Lamb!