Rupert Carlos is the only son of an English Earl and a Spanish Countess.

The Earl tries to persuade Rupert that the "Red Indians" of North America are the losers in the battle for survival because their cultures are weak and inferior. He thinks of himself and his ancestors as swashbuckling Protestant capitalists. He is proud of his family's involvement in the Hudson's Bay Company which colonised vast areas of Canada on behalf of the British Empire.

However, the Countess feels profound guilt. Since the time of Columbus her aristocratic ancestors exploited los indios of Latin...