These short stories bring together for the first time the shorter fiction of Phyllis Shand Allfrey, whose novel The Orchid House is a classic of Caribbean fiction. Set in Dominica, New York and London, the stories probe brilliantly beneath the surface of colonial life, often drawing on autobiographical experiences. Allfrey's skill is to lead her characters – from different cultures and races – into unpredictable encounters where miracles can happen.