Finding an intriguing angle on the familiar story of the British Empire, Kate Fullagar introduces Ostenaco—a Cherokee warrior who rejected imperial politics during the American Revolution—and Mai, a Tahitian who traveled to London on Cook's imperial expedition, returning home with a burning ambition to right past wrongs. Woven throughout this tale of interconnected lives is the story of Joshua Reynolds, who rose to the top of Britain's art world, while remaining ambivalent about his nation's expansionist trajectory.