At the age of nineteen, biology student Chuck McAllister left behind his comfortable but uninspiring suburban life to seek adventure, clarity, and some kind of meaningful existence on the Caribbean island of Trinidad. There he met Suvali—clever, bright-eyed, and raven-haired—and his life changed forever. This is the story of McAllister's eleven years of living, loving, and a little bit of science, as a transplanted American boy amidst the colorful chaos of this exotic Caribbean melting pot.