Aka Mortschiladse's masterful parody of his homeland Georgia takes the reader into the fascinating world of the imaginary Santa Esperanza Islands in the Black Sea. The archipelago sinks into chaos following its independence from the Angles during a civil war. The arrogant Wisramiani, the influential Genoese merchant Da Costa, and the barbaric Sungalen fight ruthlessly for power. And the elderly Agatia, a descendant of the former ruler, fails to bring about peace. From countless fragments—myths and legends, ancient chronicles, diary entries, love stories, messages in bottles, as well as emails, newspaper articles, and travel reports, all interspersed with various literary allusions from Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet" to the story of Cain and Abel, and even Stevenson's "Treasure Island"—he creates a vibrant cosmos.