Never the Twain Shall Meet

Dan is summoned to Captain Larrieau's ship in San Francisco, where he learns the news. Larrieau reveals he has contracted leprosy and cannot care for his daughter Tamea. He asks Dan and his father to act as guardians so that Tamea can marry well. Dan agrees to take on the responsibility.

Larrieau goes topside and leaps overboard, ending his life and leaving Dan to face the guardianship alone. The sudden tragedy jolts Dan and shifts the burden of care entirely to him and his father. The future of Tamea enters a new, uncertain phase.

Over the next days, Dan cannot help being drawn to Tamea. She flirts with him openly, testing his resolve and drawing him away from Maisie. The tropical allure begins to pull him into a dangerous attraction.

At a party, Dan is unsettled by his friends' prejudice against Tamea, and his feelings for her deepen. Tamea seduces him in the moment, and Dan's loyalty to Maisie starts to crumble. The social pressure around them highlights the gulf between their worldviews.

Dan's father, fearing his son is losing control, arranges to send Tamea back to the islands to safeguard her prospects for marriage. Tamea is placed on the next boat bound for the Polynesian islands.

Dan resolves to follow Tamea and leaves behind the tropical paradise to pursue his attachment. The two set off toward the Polynesian islands to continue their complicated relationship.

Dan and Tamea begin living on the island, initially seeming happy, but Dan feels out of his element with little to do and turns to drinking. The carefree tropical life exposes the strains beneath the surface.

Tamea's uninhibited behavior fuels Dan's jealousy as he spots her with Tolongo, a bare-chested local boy. Dan's anger grows, and his drinking worsens the volatile situation.

Maisie refuses to give up on Dan and follows him to the island. She rescues him from the tropical paradise that has become his nightmare, offering a possible path back to safety and reality.

Although Tamea is sad about Dan's departure, she quickly returns to Tolongo, using him to help forget the unrestrained life she led with Dan. The island's social order shifts as the lovers diverge.