It's the end of the season of rain in the tiny African republic of Malinda. Henry has spent most of the season with his people creature friends at Elspeth Christiaan's remote shamba in the wild bush country of the Northern District. But Henry is getting antsy. And as everyone knows, it's not good when a honey badger gets antsy. Henry feels that he's losing his edge and heads out to the wild bush for a dose of danger. And he finds it. The land is flooded, and the widespread presence of crocodiles makes travel a problem — especially to the Reserve of the Ancients where only the naked Forest People may go. Of course, not being subject to people creature laws and treaties, elephants may go there, too. Technically, poachers may not, but they pay no attention to laws. However, they don't count on being discovered by a Long Range Reconnaissance Honey Badger, and Henry catches them in the act. Things get violent and Henry gets shot by a poacher with a heavy rifle. But Henry has friends who go after the poachers, and things get very violent. Henry isn't the only one on the move. Patti the Stewardess returns to Malinda. A remarkable eccentric, an engineer and physician, Patti arrives just in time to operate on Henry and save his life. Meanwhile, the megayacht Sun King, on a spy mission to track Australian submarines is another setting for treachery and mayhem and murder. But all is not lost, and as so often happens in Malinda, there is a healthy dose of courage, honesty, repentance, mercy and romance.