In pre-colonial Namibia, Cornelia was a companion and niece of the Oorlam-Nama captain, Jan Jonker Afrikaner. Cornelia joined her uncle's men on commando in their territorial battles in Namibia (Damaraland and Namaland) during the 1860s. Her relationship with the young British trader, James Neave, was cut short when she died during an attack on Windhoek. One and a quarter centuries later, the ghost of Cornelia reveals herself to her relative, Julienne van Wyk, and from there onwards the events of the novel, which are set in the Namibian independence period of 1989 and include the growing relationship between Julienne and Simon, are partly guided by Cornelia.