Mark Brian, a young vicar, is sent to the First Nations village of Kingcome in British Columbia, home to people of the Kwakwaka'wakw nation (who are given the now-archaic name “Kwakiutl” in the book).
Kingcome Inlet was named for Captain John Kingcome of the troopship HMS Simoom, later knighted, who was Rear Admiral in charge of the Pacific Station of the Royal Navy from 1863 to 1864 and whose flagship was HMS Sutlej.