The Grosvenor was one of the finest East Indiamen of her day, a grand three-masted square-rigger of 741 tons bristling with cannon. When she ran aground on the treacherous cost of south-east Africa, the castaways found themselves utterly ignorant of their surroundings and the local people. Stephen Taylor pieces together the extraordinary tale of what happened next. He reveals the misunderstandings that led to the tragedy and tells the story of those who escaped, and unravels the mystery of those who stayed.