Heart of Stone

Robert Ansley, a lawyer in Amsterdam has just lost a murder trial and the woman he loves has been convicted. He has been careless about his inheritance, his wife has left him and taken their boys. He feels that his life is over at 36. Then two girls walk by in the snow with enchanting descriptions about Saba, an island in the Caribbean West

Indies. Robert decides that Saba might be a better place to drink himself into obscurity. He arrives in Saba and meets the locals, Hal Gumbs,the owner of the ferry takes him home with him as a tenant for their little cottage. Their daughter, Becks Sue, a 16 year old nymphet thinks her

prayers have been answered . She lays traps to snare Robert but he hardly notices her. The

Gumbs boys, Simon and Curt are talked into fishing from a poisonous reef for an easy buck and kill one sixth of the population. In desperation they look for a way off the island and get drunk with Hermes, an evil Argentinean, who Shainghies them onto "Ferodelous, "where Christina, his nasty wife is waiting. They wake up at sea on a trip to Key West during hurricane season.

Robert gets drunk every night. Becky Sue follows him to the bars hoping to be alone with him and make him notice her. Doctor Van Delden takes Sarah, a three year old who has been orphaned by the fish poisoning incident, to Lydia, a widow who lives with her 16 year old son, Nelson. Lydia is happy to have Sarah who has not spoken since the tragedy.

In a last grasp at life, Robert goes for a long walk and meets Lydia and falls in love with her lyrical beauty and talent, but after spending a perfect day with her his feelings of inadequacy and failure, overwhelm him so he stays away.

The Ferodelous runs into a hurricane, the boat turtles and Hennes and Simon get into a fight and Simon's arm is slashed. The boys throw Christina overboard when she attacks them and Hennes gets trapped in the boat as Curt and Simon escape. Curt lashes them to the hull, trying toavoid the sharks but they get Simon. Days later the Cuban Coast Guard arrive and take Curt and the boat to Cuba. When the hull is found crammed with drugs, Curt is imprisoned for life.

Nelson falls in love with Susan. Robert and Lydia meet again and vow never to part. Becky Sue is enraged to lose Robert and blames him for getting her pregnant. Her pregnancy becomes a major scandal. A Judge comes from Holland to hear the case and demands DNA tests for every man who has slept with Becky Sue. Robert is exonerated and the father turns out to be Erin, a nice young member of Hal's crew on the "Deep Water."

A stranger comes to Saba with news of Simon's death and Curt's incarceration in Cuba. Hisop, Hal's captain on the "Deep Water" makes plans to rescue Curt and while they are in Cuba, they plan to buy a new boat. They meet Santana a very rich, Judge who entertains them. He is a personal friend of Fidel Castro. Hal gets Curt free and trades his boat for a beautiful boat and puts up 50K in cash. They have been set up by Santana and after they leave, are trapped by the Puerto Rican police. Due to Hisop's cleverness they survive avoid capture and make it back to Saba. Becky Sue has triplets and Erin gets interested in the babies. Robert and Lydia get married and Nelson and Susan exchange promises to wait for each other.

Santana comes with a dozen men with automatic weapons and there is a fire fight at the Fort Bay pier as Santana tries to take the beautiful new boat back. Again, Hisop is the hero but it is Curt who shoots Santana.

A strange lawyer comes to take Sarah away to her great aunt and Judge Hooren steps in again and allows Lydia and Robert to keep the little girl who finally speaks and declares Lydia and Robert her mother and father.