When Tom Pryce-Bowyer returns to his cabin in Queensland’s wet tropics to write a biography, he expects only forest animals to disturb his concentration. Then Tom is faced with another disraction: deflecting the quixotic plans of Jack, a former intelligence officer who wants to thwart the promotion of an unsavoury American general.As he researches for his biography, he’s also forced to confront secrets about the recent atrocities in East Timor. A more pleasant distraction for Tom is Emjay, a New York publisher with whom he strikes up a whirlwind affair after their respective marriages break off.To Tom’s dismay, his idyllic rainforest, and the life of his inquisitive neighbour – a colourful southern cassowary of mystical dimensions – both become endangered, and his late-blooming romance begins to fray...