Select your language
Only the wicked are offered,” says the priest—and Captain Cook believes him. But when painted warriors hurl spears at his crew on a nameless reef island, even that belief is shaken.
How can a people so gentle commit acts so cruel?
In May 1774, Captain Cook’s expedition returns to Raiatea—and finds paradise laced with paradox. At the center: the Errioys, a revered group of artists and priests whose vibrant performances hide a devastating truth.
As HMS Resolution sails away from Tahiti in May 1774, the cannon fire masks more than just ritual—it conceals heartache, temptation, and unresolved tensions. Onboard, a sailor dreams of paradise and dives for it. Onshore in Huaheine, Cook’s crew finds not only coconuts and courtesies but theft, ambush, and a mocking dance that wounds more deeply than any weapon.
Tahiti, 1774. As spring renews the land, red feathers stir deeper tides—of power, desire, and disillusionment.
April 1774. While Cook’s men collect plants and feathers in Tahiti’s fertile valleys, beneath the surface, old dynasties fracture and new rulers rise. In this episode, the island speaks not just in flowers and birdsong—but in silence, scandal, and ceremonial fire.