“It won’t do. It’s no fun at all being explorers with somebody running about seeing you’re alright all the time. It spoils things. We’re not children … well, I suppose we are … but you know what I mean. It’s awful not knowing what it is they’re up to.” When Uncle Albert arranges a holiday for the children he thinks he is looking after them. But things don’t always turn out quite the way you expect. An idyllic holiday starts to go wrong, leading to a dramatic climax set on a remote island off the coast of southern France. A story about growing up, painting, far-away places, and hard decisions. The sequel to the The Boat in the Bay, with the same cast of characters.