Defines the 18th century society of Acadia into which Joseph Beausoleil Broussard was born in 1702. The book tells of his early life events and militant struggles with the British who had for years wanted to lay claim to the Acadians' rich lands. Subsequent chapters discuss the epic odyssey during which Beausoleil led a group of one hundred ninety-three Acadians from Nova Scotia to Louisiana, the New Acadia, with the hope that his beloved Acadian culture would survive. The last half of the book discusses the repercussions of Beausoleil's life that resulted in the evolution of the Acadian culture into what is now called the 'Cajun' culture and how it led to an eighth generation Beausoleil descendant, Warren A Perrin, to bring a Petition seeking an apology from the British Crown in 1990. This Petition was successfully resolved on 9 December 2003, by the signing of the Queen's Royal Proclamation.