The story follows , an ex-US Marine and Iraq War veteran who is haunted by his past and searching for his ancestry. His journey leads him to investigate the life of his ancestor, Francis Itty Cora , a 15th-century pepper merchant from Kunnamkulam, Kerala.

T.D. Ramakrishnan constructs a very dark, provocative, and layered universe using several main concepts: Go to product viewer dialog for this item. Francis Itty Cora

Francis Itty Cora emerged from a period of intense personal and creative pressure. Ramakrishnan has described reaching a "near-manic state" during the writing process, a psychological immersion that blurred the lines between reality and imagination. The novel opens with a bold disclaimer that sets the stage for the narrative to come: "This is not history. It's just a tale spiced with lies and anecdotes." This freedom from historical constraints allows Ramakrishnan to engage creatively with time and knowledge, constructing a "parallel history" rather than adhering to strict factual timelines.