Captain David Grief, South Pacific tycoon, owns plantations and trading stations from New Guinea to Samoa, pearling fisheries in the Paumotus, and rubber acreages in the Louisiades. His own vessels recruit contract labor, and he operates three steamers on ocean runs. He came to the South Seas at the age of twenty and, blessed with a blond skin impervious to tropical rays, became browner through two decades as a true "son of the sun." At forty years of age, he looks no more than thirty. His manifold enterprises flourish. His is the golden touch; but he plays the South Sea game not for the gold but for the game's sake and for the daring life of the island rover.

This book includes eight long tales of danger and adventure, with titles like "The Proud Goat of Aloysius Pankburn," "The Feathers of the Sun," and "The Pearls of Parlay," told in Jack London's most graphic and colorful style.