1702, the young Gabriel-Mathieu d'Erchigny de Clieu, from Normandy, is barely fifteen years old. Once he obtains his ship's ensign stripes, he finds himself immediately sent to Martinique. Following Christopher Columbus’s footsteps, his dream of America becomes a reality. He grows sugar cane, which quickly provides him with a nice fortune, a wife, and a prosperous plantation. In 1720, he returns to France with a new idea in mind: to grow coffee in the West Indies. This new beverage is terribly fashionable in all European courts, but the French buy it from producing countries at a very high price. However, the Jardin Royal des Plantes keeps some coffee plants under close surveillance. Luck brings Clieu into contact with the niece of Louis XV's personal doctor (Mr. de Chirac has unlimited access to the garden), and who, for her beautiful eyes, steals two precious plants! The adventure has only just begun....