Long ago, beginning in the New Stone Age, a people that included the ancestors of the Malayo-Polynesian people, known as the Nusantao, spread news of the world's center to the far reaches of the globe. A great churning of the ocean, a major volcanic eruption had left clues convincing these ancient navigators that they had discovered the axis mundi, the link between the three worlds of old mythology. Author Paul Kekai Manansala searched deep into arcane archives, museums and other repositories to uncover the mysteries of these ancient argonauts.

Jonathan Mayford wants to join the Patriot Cause because he wants to prove that he's a man. Despite his parents' misgivings, they allow him to join his father's privateer, the American Elizabeth. Jonathan befriends an old sea cook, Finis Henderson who teaches him about the sea. Later, he also becomes friends with a young African American boy, James Forten The relationship that takes Jonathan from boyhood to manhood began when he met the red-headed Lowri Howell, a daughter of Welsh nobleman. Jonathan dreams of the day that he will become worthy of her affections. He hoped that in winning this war, he might have a chance at capturing her heart, his greatest prize of all. Both Jonathan and James discover fighting in the war is not what makes a man. They learn that becoming a real man requires integrity and character.

Quests of the Dragon and Bird Clan: The Golden Age (Vol. III) is a continuation of a series of books based on the blog Quests of the Dragon and Bird Clan by Paul Kekai Manansala. The books delve into the historical and archaeological mysteries of the Nusantao Trade and Communication Network (as proposed by the late Wilhelm Solheim) and, particularly, in its involvement in the ancient Spice Trade.