Story

Thomas, the Virginia Company's most expendable recruit, is dispatched alone up a river to find gold. His mission quickly goes awry when he loses his canoe and washes ashore on Powhatan land, disoriented and without his trousers.

He is soon taken in by a spirited young woman, an ancient, matchmaking willow tree, and a mischievous raccoon who absconds with his pants. Over six weeks, Thomas navigates escalating "cultural exchanges" and the persistent efforts of the willow tree, all while sending unpromising reports back to a gold-obsessed governor.