While most of us know that Roanoke was established in 1587 and somehow disappeared by 1590 with hardly a trace, Kara expands the mystery by looping in the British and European happenings and conflicts which may have contributed to the disappearance. She also looks at the status of the Native Americans who, for the most part, surrounded the colony on all sides.

She finishes with a brief discussion as to some of the theories of how the colony could have disappeared, but ultimately, the mystery of Roanoke reflects more of what was happening on the Atlantic seaboard and England's ever growing involvement in world affairs and perhaps sticking her nose where it doesn't need to be stuck.