In the great Age of Fighting Sail, life ranging the seas for prey and prize money in the crack frigate HMS Artemis is fast and exciting. Now a true Jack Tar, Kydd sails into Portsmouth Harbour to a hero's welcome after a ferocious battle against the French. However, his jubilation is cut short when a family matter threatens to take him from the life he has grown to love, and he must return to Guildford. But the sea beckons irresistibly, and Kydd manages to ship out again on his beloved Artemis-a voyage that will take him to the fabled East and present him with fierce challenges, both personal and physical. Finally homeward bound, he faces death itself in the cruel waters of the great Southern Ocean.