In the 18th century, European ships returned from afar with bounties of new plants, and their arrival meant much more than improved flowerbeds—it offered a new scientific frontier that would transform Europe's industry, medicine, food, and even fashion. Joseph Banks, botanist for James Cook's South Pacific voyage, collected plants on a vast scale, and commissioned many other expeditions. This epic history follows these high seas adventurers and takes us back to the early years of Kew Gardens, which Banks transformed into one of the world's largest and most diverse botanical collections.