The descendants of the van der Kemps struggle against British control and warring tribes. Christiaan van der Kemp is a peacemaker, but few others share his views.
His daughter, Sina, has a big crush on the neighbor boy, Henry Klyn. Sina's good friend, Karel, advises her against pursuing the relationship with Henry. . . . And Sina advises Karel against the relationship he is pursuing with Deborah van Aardt. Karel and Sina, despite their differing opinions, have been friends for most of their lives.
Jama, a descendant of Ding (the van der Kemp's slave in the first book), is struggling to find his place among the Dutch Afrikaner, or Boers as they were commonly called. He doesn't feel accepted by anyone but the van der Kemps, and he longs to marry, but finds no one he can relate with. So, at the urgings of the Xhosa tribe king, Jama joins with their ranks.
After the Xhosas attack the Boers and leave the houses decimated, the van der Kemps, along with others, decide to leave South Africa and seek land by a peaceable arrangement with the Zulus. Through hardship and heartache, the van der Kemps are victorious only by the Lord.
It did start slowly, but I still found it interesting. Besides, the rest of the book more than makes up for it! There was one part I especially liked--the imagery was so gripping and vivid (and scary, particularly if you're reading it at night like I was), but I won't give it away. =)