The Magnificent Savages

The Story

Signing on to one of his father's clipper ships as cabin boy at the age of twelve, Justin has no idea that he is marked for murder by his hated half brother, Sylvaner. Justin is saved by Samantha Aspinal, the beautiful daughter of a missionary, and they fall passionately in love. But when the ship is attacked by pirates, Justin is captured by the sensuously irresistible Madame Ching, who takes him to China as her slave. Years pass. Samantha, still in love with Justin but fearing him dead, marries an Englishman. But Justin is very much alive. Knowing that his half brother has plotted his murder and stolen his inheritance, Justin savors revenge, starting an odyssey that takes him to Victorian England, the Italy of Garibaldi, and finally back to China, where he plays an intricate chess game of death against the evil Dowager Empress.