Claudia Vogel lives and works in a perfect world. Paradise, the tropical resort she manages, is a high-tech heaven where everything, even the sunshine, is regulated. Owned by mysterious billionaire, Pasqua, the resort is a holidaymaker's dream.
There is, however, a large snake loose on the premises. Claudia's estranged and quixotic husband, Tony, has seen it. Or perhaps he is just being malicious. It is Claudia, after all, who has insisted on a separation, for reasons that are unclear even to herself. She is still haunted by her experiences as a hostage; the troubling, jungle-clad island of Jolo occupies most of her waking hours and all of her dreams.
Paradise is the story of what happened on Jolo, the ripple effects of terrorism on Claudia and the people who love her, and the elusive search for utopia.