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.
After eight months adrift in the Pacific, HMS Resolution returns to the shores of Tahiti in April 1774. What Captain Cook and his crew find is a world both familiar and transformed: abundant fruit, rebuilt homes, old friends—and a red-feather economy in full bloom. But beneath the island’s charm, a silent armada is gathering.
