Gottfried Lindauer, the Bohemian painter, is about to sail to England. He'snjust begun work on a painting of the Ngati Wai rangatira (chief) Paratene Te Manu when into his studio walks Paratene himself. Hearing of Lindauer's planned trip to England reminds Paratene of his own jou...rney there in 1863 with a party of Northern rangatira. Over the next three days, as he sits for Lindauer, Paratene retreats deeper and deeper into the past, from the triumphant meetings with royalty and aristocracy to the disintegration of the trip into estrangement, poverty, and mistrust.
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