Caste

The narrative follows political and personal maneuvering around a ruling household whose heir returns from England outwardly Anglicized but secretly committed to reclaiming authority, while British officials and officers work to prevent a powerful native confederation from forming. A wary Resident sends a young captain to secure the allegiance of a formidable raiding leader and avert a dangerous military alliance. Renegade European adventurers, rival chiefs, and a pivotal young woman converge as caste identity, loyalty, and colonial diplomacy collide, blending battlefield plotting with intimate tensions between the officer and the Resident's daughter.