Hangman's Beach is a skilful blend of romance and historical fact set around Halifax, Nova Scotia, while the Napoleonic Wars were shaking the world. In Halifax, the sight of executed deserters or traitors hanging on a beach became a gruesome and frequent sight. The tarred bodies served as a warning to others.

In the midst of this, a forbidden love affair between a French prisoner and an unlikely local woman.

While imprisoned on Melville Island, the prisoner faces the agonizing question: What would his fate be if the British discovered that he had shot and killed Lord Nelson at Trafalgar? While weighing the risks of an escape attempt, he tries to conceal his dangerous secret.