A historical novel about a group of settlers and three French refugees fleeing Marseille who arrive at the Cape on a Dutch galleon, and settle in Franschhoek: Jean-Baptiste, an agnostic winemaker on the run after an affair with the mayor’s wife; Marguerite, his Catholic lover; and Mimi, a cabaret dancer. Another galleon, Die Klara II, carries Governor Adriaan van der Stel's furniture for Vergelegen. When the piano arrives damaged beyond repair, van der Stel cancels his deal with the VOC shipowner, Josep van der Mollen, and sets off a chain of events that will reshape the Cape settlement.