In 1948, as the jungle reclaimed the detritus left by World War II, a series of violent crimes were committed in Papua New Guinea and the Dutch East Indies. Linked by questions of race, the civil and military authorities of Australia, the United States, China, the Netherlands and the Philippines were stung into action. Lachlan Strahan weaves the facts of these crimes into a story of compelling interest. This highly original history skilfully explores the complexities of international relations and paints a vivid portrait of people trying to cope with a confused and rapidly changing postwar world.