Santigi reigns in a time of peace, the people of Mando land having come out of previous wars with neighbouring tribes. Assisted by Maligu his 'wise counsellor' and Soko, the priest, and his son who is Chief of the Warriors, he appears to be heading towards a quiet and peaceful death in his dotage (old age).
However, Santigi's kingdom is suddenly ruffled by the news of Soko's contrived divination of a white stranger appeared in the land. Aided and abetted by Maligu and Soko, the whiteman, symbolically, called. Mr. Whitehead, who has sent his messenger/secretary (interpreter...,), Mr. Parker (for short) before him, appears, much against the custom of the people and does not pay his respects to the king upon arrival, which is also against custom. Kindo the king's son, points this out, but his appeal is ignored by the king who rigidly insists on things being done according to custom.
Whitehead's arrival in Mando land bodes no good for the people of Mando land under Santigi's reign. In complicity with Maligu and Soko, he deceives the King (urged on by Soko and Maligu) that he brings prosperity to Mando land through the introduction of tobacco farming, when his real interest is the land's diamond. Kindo, who suspects his real motive, which is exploiting the diamond resource of the land, is never listened to by his father, the king. Thus, Santigi's reign is characterised by the violation of custom after custom; for instance, the custom which forbids the people to smoke tobacco (Maligu, Soko and the king indulge in this pastime). Later, the people become addicted to tobacco, alcohol and hard drugs and, as reported by Kindo, the men and women engage in sexual orgies, as societal norms and restrictions are abandoned " in the name of happiness under the very eyes of Santigi". A normally self-sustaining farming people lose the will to work hard and embrace laziness, rather.
Things do not improve, even at this stage, as Whitehead and his accomplices, Maligu and Soko, single out Kindo, the King's son, as the main obstacle to pursuing their greed for money and wealth.. They hatch a plot which receives the king's support. To atone for the arrival of the stranger within, there should be a sacrifice involving " the blood of a stranger born in another place". Soko interprets this as being the blood of a virgin. Wara, Kindo's woman, is chosen. However, such is the distrust between the accomplices that Soko spares Wara's life and on the day of the sacrifice, Kindo kills Parker, Whitehead's secretary, who then becomes the sacrificial lamb. Santigi sits on his throne unaware of the demands of his own custom and acquiesces to Wara being sacrificed instead. It takes Kindo to expose the grand deception and the killing of Whitehead to stop the descent into the depravity that has engulfed the people. Ironically, Kindo's banishment is sanctioned by his own father, King Santigi, according to custom.
Here, therefore, is a kind who, though old and insistent on tradition, has no high moral integrity to show in his violation of custom for money. Instead of protecting his people from outside negative influence, he superintends a corrupt and effete society which is unlikely to improve under an equally corrupt Maligu, if he should die and Kindo is unable to return from banishment.
When it emerges that it is Parker who has been sacrificed instead, Whitehead calls for the enforcement of the tradition which prescribes death for anybody who kills in peace time. Whitehead in turn dies on Kindo's sword, accidentally.