Fiela se kind

Benjamin is forced to adopt this identity as Lukas and work as an apprentice to his "father," Elias van Rooyen, building wood beams. At first, Benjamin resists this role, solely wanting to return to the Long Kloof and what he believes to be his family there. Over time, however, he has no choice but to make a home where he is and dissociate from his former life. Gradually, he takes on the mannerisms and mentalities of forest people, becoming accustomed to grueling labor and developing a loyalty to the van Rooyens, even helping Elias to subdue the rebellious Nina.

As he grows up through the story over the span of a decade, Benjamin transforms from a carefree child who loves to play with boats, to a stifled adolescent, to a young man feeling confused about his place in the world. Finally an adult, Benjamin is able to break free of the van Rooyens' grip and take some space by the seaside where he starts to doubt the original story of him being Lukas. Through the help of Nina, along with Barta van Rooyen's ultimate confession, Benjamin receives the clarity necessary to make an informed choice about who he truly wants to be, beyond others' projections of him. Between the van Rooyens and the Komoeties, Benjamin decides that it is the latter family that truly feels like home.