Conquest; Or, A Piece of Jade; a New Play in Three Acts

Set amid the rolling hills of a New Zealand sheep station, the play opens with two weather‑worn shepherds mending a flock and swapping gossip about the looming war. Their banter reveals a community on the brink of change, as news of recruiters and distant fortunes stirs both hope and resentment among the farm’s young owners, Gordon and Robert Hyde, and the spirited local girl, Nora Lee. Beneath the rugged landscape, a subtle tension builds between tradition and the pull of a wider world.

When the action moves to the Hyde homestead months later, the characters confront the personal costs of enlistment, love, and ambition while the looming conflict hangs over every decision. By the third act, a lavish London drawing‑room hosts the Duchess of Rainshire and a cadre of officials, juxtaposing colonial grit with aristocratic intrigue. Listeners are treated to a vivid portrait of a transitional era, where loyalty, desire, and the promise of “a piece of jade” drive the drama forward.