Discrimination, ambition, assassination, love and tragedy shape this fast-paced tale about the lives of three men from different backgrounds-during the tumultuous period in South Africa's history from the 1930s, through apartheid, to the first free election in 1994. The Order of Things weaves their gripping stories as conflicting political and social forces threaten the survival of each of them. Marius Strydom-heir to a politically powerful Boer farmer-is nurtured by the lore of the bitter battles of his people against the British. His boyhood playmate, Jeremiah Ngubeni, born to black labourers on the farm, is banished by Marius as a young man. The ambitious Neil Robertson, raised in England, leaves home to seek his fortune in Johannesburg. While doors open for the two white men, Jeremiah experiences a different South Africa. All three are tested by the order of things as each tries to forge his destiny.