At the center of the novel is Prince Charles of Nassaau-Siegen, a handsome young nobleman and a captain in the French army, forced by circumstance to explore worlds beyond the narrow social trappings of nobility. During his travels, Charles fails in love with Tahiti, and with a beautiful native girl named Ite. At a critical moment, Charles will have to decide if he will return to France with his ship or live forever in the tropical paradise his very presence corrupts.

In the tradition of Shakespeare's The Tempest and Conrad's Heart of Darkness, World Elsewhere explores the complex issues of European exploration, the blurring lines between civilization and savagery, and the bewitching power of idyllic love.