The book details many of the post-war phenomena in New Guinea, including the famous 'Cargo Cult'. Explain a little about this.

One of the things that effected Molly's experiences in New Guinea was the Melanesian Cargo Cult. The Cargo Cult originated after the Islander's first contact with whites. During war, it flourished because of the influx of American, Australian and Japanese troops in these remote islands. For the native people, the strangers 'cargo' was inconceivable. Some Papuans had never seen white people before, let alone airplanes, tanks, warships and guns! To them, these things were remarkable, especially canned food and refrigerators.

Misconceptions about the origins of this 'cargo' were spread by accident. A lot of times planes who make parachute drops and very often miss there marks. Or, advancing troops would just abandon their supplies. The native people thought, these things were coming from the Gods, the spirits of the ancestors. No one worked because sooner or later things would fall from the sky or be discovered in the jungle.

Often, the expatriates who remained in New Guinea after the war were accused of withholding cargo. In one part of the book, Molly was accused of withholding her share of cargo from the villagers around her. This creates quite a stir, and is a difficult situation for her to resolve.