Emerald Greed is an adventure set in the Pantanal, vast, inhospitable wetlands in the center of South America at the headwaters of the Rio Paraguay. This book tells of the emerald trade, cocaine smuggling and of politics as practiced in Brazil. The story begins with Jack Tate in Rio de Janeiro, working to reestablish the industry contacts he had prior to leaving for Africa to trade in the "blood diamonds" that were fueling the Angolan Civil War. This African venture which ended in a Zairian prison left him destitute and therefore desperate enough to head off into the Brazilian hinterlands in search of the fabled Borba Mine, knowing that Joaquim Fontes, the geologist who re-discovered it, and another gem dealer sent to find him have both disappeared. As the story unfolds so does a romance between Jack and Joaquim's daughter, Marisa, who eventually leads him to the mine where their quest begins.