The Scent of Nutmeg

The dream of a life in paradise is finally becoming a reality. After many years of planning, Anke and Dave Forrester fold their tents in Germany and, with their two small children, set off to Carriacou, a small island in the south-eastern Caribbean. Anke is ready to exchange her city life for a new home in the tropics - with all the consequences that will entail. Water for drinking, cooking and showering will come from their own cistern. Yogurt will have to be made and bread baked at home. Tropical fruits, sweet and ripe, will be waiting to be picked from the trees in the garden. What more could you want for a wonderful new life? The couple have also carefully considered their livelihood, purchasing an old freighter to transport goods between Dave's home and other islands so as to make a living. Slowly, however, cracks in this idyll begin to form and Anke realises that she is really a captive in her beautiful house on the hill. Her one true friend manages to open her eyes, shaking Anke out of her deep sleep. She then starts receiving threats and the whole island appears to be conspiring against her. Taking matters into her own hands, together with her friend she takes control of the ship in order to sell it in Haiti - even with forged documents, if needs must. Hurricane Lenny, however, sweeping across St. Maarten in November 1999, puts a spanner in the works. The ship runs aground and to make matters worse, is confiscated by the authorities. Anke is subsequently faced with a million dollar lawsuit as during the hurricane her ship is alleged to have totalled a yacht. . This is when her friend has a brilliant idea: night after night, they scan St. Maarten's marinas to find that yacht in order to prove that a huge insurance company is behind this shady deal. Her worst fears are confirmed when she discovers a draft of her obituary. Is all this just a nightmare or is it a ghastly scheme that has been in the planning for a long time?