Main aspects of Forster's life covered by the novel include his participation in the second voyage of James Cook, his marriage to Therese Heyne and his experiences in the French Revolution as a protagonist of the Republic of Mainz.

The book has been praised for its atmosphere, its imagination and its depictions of the Forster marriage, but also criticised for not adding much of value to the source material.

[2] After their return to England, his father was forbidden from writing an account of the journey, and George wrote A Voyage Round the World instead, which was published in 1777.

[9] After seeing Therese, Huber and his children in Travers, Switzerland, for a final time in late 1793, Forster died in Paris on 10 January 1794.

It contains a review of George Forster's early life, accompanying his father to Russia and then to England, and the preparations for Cook's journey including the withdrawal of Joseph Banks that allowed them to participate in his stead.

The next scene, set in 1784, shows the beginning of George's difficult marriage to Therese Heyne with flashbacks to her early life.

In 1774, a scene on board Resolution is described where Reinhold Forster has his Tahitian dog (who George likes to play with) slaughtered to provide fresh meat for Captain Cook, which helps him overcome an illness.

In 1793, Forster has become a supporter of the revolution but spends his days in bed with Caroline and telling her stories about his earlier life, including Nally's suicide after their return to England.

After another scene on board Resolution in 1775 highlighting Reinhold Forster's difficult character, the final chapter starts with George on a secret mission for Maximilien Robespierre.

Writing for the Sydney Morning Herald, Ross Southernwood called the book a "historical novel of high interest and importance".

[20] In the London Times, James Marriott praised Wilson's ability to convey the intellectual atmosphere of the 18th century and the description of the married life of George and Therese, but criticised the pacing.