FACT OR FICTION? Why did the British Government invest a fortune in 1787 to send the worst of its people to the other side of the world? And what was behind the mysterious disappearance of French naval hero and explorer La Perouse, whose two frigates arrived in Botany Bay only days after the First Fleet? Marine Captain Watkin Tench's daily journals open a new perspective on international politics in the late 18th century and explain why English spymaster Evan Nepean insisted Tench take part in the Botany Bay expedition. They expose the British Government's real intentions in the South Seas, and reveal a secret society vital to the convict colony's survival. Tench explores the background of the convicts on board his prison ship Charlotte, finding many are quite different from their depiction as "dregs of society". Along the way he discovers much about his fellow man (and woman) and befriends two convict veterans who fought on opposite sides in the American War of Independence. This friendship will save his life, but put theirs in danger. And he discovers more and more about the secret life of the Governor, Arthur Phillip, whose destiny became entwined with naval hero La Perouse and the Frenchman's wife. Tench, Phillip and their secret society form critical alliances with both convicts and the indigenous population. And they become increasingly concerned about the actions and intentions of La Perouse until the French ships leave Botany Bay, never to return, leaving a mystery which has never been solved - until now.