The Hawaiian islands are a chain, and the Big Island is the
anchor. It is where Captain Cook first came ashore. It is where native islanders still go in search of what Cook found; untrammeled
tropical jungle and smoking volcanic craters.

Yvonne Martins' Portuguese ancestors came to Hawaii to work in
the sugarcane fields. The Portuguese and other Southern Europeans
bonded with the native island culture. They were accepted, unlike
the Northern European plantation owners, whose white ancestors
are still known as Haoles (Haw-o-lays).

Police Sergeant Kenneth Mathison is a Haole. Young-faced and small-framed, Mathison got his start in law enforcement working undercover, catching youngsters dealing in marijuana. Martins was attracted to Mathison's youthful looks.

Though her relatives disapproved, Martins decided to bring the
Haole into her family. At first, Yvonne's marriage to Kenneth
came together as beautifully as an orchid lei. However, it was not
long before Yvonne found herself at the centre of a domestic
typhoon.

Martins eventually divorced Mathison, only to later reconcile. Unfortunately, Yvonne could not sense the volcanic rage
building inside her husband.