Sea of Poppies is the first novel in the Ibis trilogy, created by author and historian Amitav Ghosh. The book takes place in India at the beginning of the opium trade. In proceeding years, the opium trade would lead, in part, to the domination of the subcontinent by British rule.
The novel traces the stories of a cast of diverse characters who are implicated, in one way or another, in the opium trade. These characters include Deeti, a low-caste Indian woman with an opium-addicted husband; Neel, a former raja who has fallen victim to the cunning of English traders; and Zachary, an American sailor aboard the ship Ibis, which is carrying opium from India to the international market. Eventually, all the characters in the novel come aboard the Ibis.
In bringing together this diverse cast on the opium ship, the novel stages themes of interconnectivity and power at the cusp of globalization. How do individual differences (cultural, economic, or otherwise) fade or intensify in the context of internationalism? How do different modes of power (gender, class, caste, etc.) conflict, evolve, or reinforce each other when they collide through international systems of commerce? What freedoms does globalization create, and what constraints does it impose?