A grim homecoming finds his country in the cruel grip of war. Sean Courtney returns from the wildnerness a rich man - until he is robbed by the Boers of his wagons, his gold and the girl he loves. Wilbur Smith was born in Central Africa in 1933. But in the bloody days ahead, conflicts within his family will prove far more bitter than any fought on the veld. He became a full-time writer in 1964 after the successful publication of When the Lion Feeds, and has since written over thirty novels, all meticulously researched on his numerous expeditions worldwide. He was educated at Michaelhouse and Rhodes University. 2009. His books are now translated into twenty-six languages.