This is a story of the march to a modern Indonesia as seen through the outside eyes of the American expat community. The island nation has just come out of colonialism and is struggling for a national identity that is shrouded in mystery, religion, and especially the international politics that placed Indonesia front and center in the cold war. The hero of the story is Edmond Beil, an oil executive who was thrown out of the military for being a homosexual. The novel begins during World War II, and ends with the military coup of 1965. This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or interpretation of actual events that provide a framework in this fictitious telling of the Indonesian path to independence.