Lolóma, or two years in cannibal-land: A story of old Fiji

In the late nineteenth century a seasoned traveler steps onto Fiji's volcanic islands just as the white world remains a legend among the locals. Determined to preserve their customs, songs and superstitions before they fade, he combines his own observations with notes from missionaries and native scholars. The opening scenes portray a storm‑tossed arrival, a tense welcome from a powerful chief, and a landscape where hospitality and danger coexist.

Within this world he meets warriors, priests and the mysterious Princess Lolóma, whose presence hints at a complex web of honor and myth. He witnesses fierce ceremonies that blend warfare, cannibal rites and reverent offerings to ancestral spirits, offering a stark glimpse of a society living on the edge of change. As the first act closes, the narrator finds himself both enthralled and uneasy, his curiosity driving him deeper into the island's unforgiving yet captivating rhythm.