It is 1839 and tension has been rapidly mounting between China and Britain following the crackdown by Beijing on opium smuggling. With no resolution in sight, the British government declares war.
One of the vessels requisitioned for the attack, the Hind, travels eastward from Bengal to China, sailing into the midst of the Opium Wars. The turbulent voyage brings together a diverse group of travellers, each with his or her own agenda. Among them is Kesri Singh, a sepoy in the East India Company’s army; Zachary Reid, a young American sailor searching for his lost love; and Shireen Modi, a determined widow en route to China to reclaim her opium-trader husband’s wealth and reputation. Flood of Fire follows this rich and varied cast of characters from Indianto China, through the outbreak of the First Opium War and China’s devastating defeat, to Britain’s dramatic seizure of Hong Kong.
