Charles Darwin, a young man in search of direction, sails for South America from England in 1831 aboard the HMS Beagle. As ship's naturalist his job is to collect plant and animal specimens. On returning home he expects to marry a third cousin and become a country parson. Instead he has an affair with Lucy Douglas, a woman of color who is a secret agent for Lord Palmerston and would be anathema to his family, and develops a theory of evolution that contradicts the Bible he intended to preach.
This fictionalization of Darwin's journey reveals a human story of adventure through which a young man finds direction in life. His adventures lead from one exotic place to the next -- fleeing French spies in Buenos Aires, fighting fierce Indians in Patagonia, and battling icy storms off Tierra del Fuego. In the process, rather than through some sort of stroke of genius, he develops a theory that would forever change him and the world.
"...an extraordinary fictional account of Charles Darwin's journey...."
"Irresistible entertainment...[yet] thought provoking...."