Sir Richard Grenville is the hero of this novel about the first attempted settlement of Roanoke Island (1585-1586), while Governor Ralph Lane is portrayed as a weak leader. 

Much of the action takes place in England before the expedition sails and after the explorers return. 

The reader gets a good sense of Elizabethan politics and the excitement that exploration held for well-born adventurers. 

Sir Walter Raleigh, Sir Francis Drake, John White, Richard Hakluyt, and Thomas Hariot all have roles in the novel. 

The lowly-born Colin provides additional human interest, as he becomes a trusted aide to Grenville and a suitor to one of Grenville’s wards.