The Hurricane

On a passenger ship, Dr. Kersaint gazes toward the ruins of a deserted island and blows his former home a kiss. He begins to tell the tale of a tragedy tied to Manakoora. A fellow passenger's question triggers a flashback that will recount events from years ago.

During the colonial era on Manakoora, Terangi, the island's first mate on an island-hopping schooner, marries Marama, the chief's daughter. The islanders live a contented life, bound by tradition and mutual care. This union will later be tested by pressures from outsiders and the law.

Marama begs Terangi not to leave, or at least to take her on the next voyage. He insists on staying behind, choosing duty over personal desire. The couple's separation foreshadows the larger conflicts with colonial authority.

On a voyage to Tahiti, the crew visits a bar where a racist white man orders them to leave. Terangi retaliates by striking him, breaking his jaw, triggering a chain of political repercussions. The governor sentences him to six months in jail, despite protests from Captain Nagle, Father Paul, and Terangi's own supporters.

Back on Manakoora, Dr. Kersaint pleads with newly appointed Governor Eugene De Laage to parole Terangi and bring him home. De Laage remains stern, clinging to a strict interpretation of the law. The pleas of the captain, a priest, and even the governor's wife fail to change his stance.

Terangi cannot bear prison confinement and makes repeated escape attempts, gradually lengthening the sentence to sixteen years. The jailer takes grim pleasure in the punishment, tightening security. His desperation sets the stage for a desperate escape and consequences.

After eight years, Terangi escapes, unintentionally killing a guard, and steals a canoe to make his arduous journey home. He is reunited with Marama and discovers a daughter he has never seen before. The family is briefly reunited amid the island's fragile peace.

Chief Mehevi recommends that Terangi's family hide on a tabu island where outsiders won't search. Governor De Laage learns of their preparations and commandeers a schooner to hunt them down. The conflict intensifies as law and survival collide with love.

Terangi senses danger and warns his people after birds flee the island, an omen Marama had foreseen years earlier. A once-in-a-lifetime hurricane strikes Manakoora, testing every survivor's resolve. Dr. Kersaint and his pregnant patient weather the disaster in a canoe.

The hurricane strips the island bare, killing many while survivors scramble to stay alive. Terangi ties his wife and Madame De Laage to a sturdy tree to keep them safe, while others drown around them. The island's collapse heightens the peril faced by all the main characters.

The tree's fate separates them as the storm passes; Terangi finds a war canoe and uses it to lead his party toward a small neighboring island. They signal the schooner with smoke, then flee with his family, continuing their precarious flight.

Governor De Laage embraces his wife, but then spots something on the water through his binoculars. Madame De Laage insists it must be a floating log; after a tense pause, her husband agrees with her. The ending hints at an uncertain fate for Terangi and his family.

Back on the present-day ship, Dr. Kersaint’s tale closes as the passengers reflect on the tragedy he remembered. He continues to keep silent about the island's fate, a memory that lingers as the ship sails away. The story ends with the sense that some things remain beyond the reach of explanation.