At the end of the nineteenth century, the United States leaders were obsessed with the idea of conquering the West. In France, however, all thoughts turned towards the East, as France poured troops and colonists into Indochina — the El Dorado of Asia, and the Far East of the French imagination. Alan Thomas, a lost sailor, sets out in search of rubies and of his own past. His voyage will take him down the length of the Mekong river towards the fabulous tombs of Angkor Jaya, and into the clutches of the fearsome Annamite pirates.

Piracy, arms trafficking, a lost city, hidden treasure and the search for the past: all the ingredients for high adventure are to be found in the Mekong, the Far East of France.