Twenty-one year-old twins Karl and Katerina Olson live in Sumatra. They were orphaned by a tsunami which killed their parents and grandparents. Their parents, Bjorn and Maria Olson, left their store, KK imports and exports, to Karl and Katarina. Their will also stipulated that a friend of theirs, Alistair Sims, be appointed their guardian. The store has become extremely lucrative, and Karl, Katarina, and Alistair Sims are well-off. Pearl and jade smuggling has become rampant and three people have mysteriously disappeared in the last six months. Roger Dorchester is a professor on leave from duke university doing a thesis on the pearl-fishing industry. Boris Strinski is a Russian in charge of the political area of Sumatra and Borneo. Katerina is the next victim targeted to disappear. She is naive and completely unaware of the danger surrounding her.