AustLit

Eric Stanfield has two uncles: Uncle Tom, a diver, and Uncle Richard, an Australian squatter. After his indebted father dies, Eric is sent to live with his Uncle Richard in Australia. Richard is very wealthy and does not take kindly to Eric being the son of a poor man, even though they are related, and Eric is treated with contempt. He sometimes manages to escape to his uncle Tom's place, where Tom and his daughter welcome him. After having been punished for something one of his rich cousins did, Eric escapes from the house with the intention to live with his uncle Tom. Tom agrees, and says he can set sail with him the following day, but to have the day off with his daughter Minnie. During their day trip to the caves, they find Minnie's fishing rods destroyed by their rich cousins and find the cousins tormenting a cat that belongs to a local man named Ah Sin. They go to the rescue of the Chinese man's cat and fight with the cousins, leaving them with battle wounds. They are reproached by Uncle Tom, but he thinks it best to take Minnie, Eric and Ah Sin with him on his diving trip, which is also intended to fight against blackbirding practices.

On their journeys, they encounter Sam Hartick, Emile Cronan, Zeph Malay attendant, initially on a dive job for an insurance claim but later as labour traders. They also meet Saul Tamor, a half caste islander, who at first Eric doesn't like because he thinks he is a rival in love for Minnie, however Saul wins Eric's respect by helping Uncle Tom and joining with him opposing Hartick, Cronan, and Zeph in their labour trade. They become friends and brothers and visit Saul's home island, meeting his mother, Queen Mane who is the tribal queen and who is taken with Uncle Tom, and, Dido, Saul's sister, who Eric falls in love with.

During their adventures they fight with a German Labour Trader vessel. Uncle Tom and his crew are victorious, but some are injured, including Minnie and Ah Sin. They release the prisoners that have survived and scuttle the German vessel, sending the crew to shore in a long boat. They then track Cronan, Hartick and Zeph who have been blackbirding, and release their captives and let them sail off. They continue to police the waters and free captured indigenous people who were to be sent to work in the cane fields in Queensland. Cronan, Hartick and Zeph, however, return to Saul's home island, take Queen Mane, Dido and Minnie captive, kill the rest of the tribe and head to Saul's traitor cousin, Tafu's, island and keep their captives hostage there. On discovering this, Tom, Eric and Saul rally more native tribes and attack Tafu's father's village. They win, recover their friends and Queen Mame becomes the ruler of that island.

Uncle Tom and his crew take the boat with Cronan, Hartick and Zeph as captives back to Australia but are overthrown and become captives themselves. Uncle Tom is left on a sandy island, Saul and Eric on another deserted island and the women taken as prisoners on the boat. The women and Ah Sin escape and meet with Saul and Eric and then they rescue Tom. They find their way to Treasure Island, the kingdom of To Kali, and find gold and precious gem stones. They set off from To Kali's village to recover some of the treasure and on their return to the Kingdom of to To Kali's village they find Cronan, Hartick and Zeph have been captured and put to work as slaves. Tom, Eric, Saul, Ah Sin, and the women return to Australia with their gold and precious gem stones. Tom and Queen Mane, Saul and Minnie, and Eric and Dido are all married to their respective partners. Uncle Richard now speaks fondly of them as a result of their new wealth. They return to their Pacific kingdoms.