Just after the Anglo-Boer War, a dispute arises when Ester returns home from a concentration camp only to find that her cousin and her English-speaking husband have moved into Ester's house.
A farm murder shakes a community and family to a standstill, forcing young Faan Venter to return to the place where his beloved grandfather was murdered. His return to the farm reopens old wounds. Faan despairs about his future in South Africa, but answers to his questions about the future come from an unexpected place – from the past, as told by his great-grandmother Katryn.
De Kleine Griet is the name of the ship commanded by the self-proclaimed Eagle of the North, Captain Wim van der Vaart. De Kleine Griet's main purpose is to transport cargo and trade for the well-known VOC. But Captain van der Vaart's main purpose is to explore the world. De Kleine Griet is not just a ship. It's her crew, it's her family who live among the old planks and it's her travels.
