Norton, an American University professor, has taken an early retirement on an unidentified Caribbean island off the coast of Cuba following the death of his wife; her financial legacy allows him to do so comfortably. Despite the strenuous objections of his elder brother, Charles, Norton removes his 16-year-old son Racky from school to serve as his companion. They share a rental property at the remote Cold Point, a tropical paradise whose amenities include a number of native house servants, a cook, and a groundskeeper, Peter.
Racky begins to make mysterious visits to the nearby village of Orange Walk. Norton suppresses his own anxiousness about these excursions, even after a local woman warns him "Keep your boy at home, Mahn." Later, Norton is visited by a parish constable, who informs him that his son Racky "has no shame. He does what he pleases with all the young boys, and the men, too, and gives them a shilling so they won't tell about it." Norton is dismayed and offended by these reports, but is daunted at the prospect of confronting his son. When a physical altercation occurs between Peter and Racky, the groundskeeper is dismissed. The household staff becomes demoralized. Racky rejects the suggestion by his father that he resume his schooling. Norton takes him to Havana, finds an apartment for him and buys him an automobile. Norton returns to Cold Point to live in isolation.
Set in North Africa, these stories explore the themes of sexual perversion, racial antagonism, drug hallucination, superstition, justice and revenge.
