In the eighth book of this popular series, Thomas Kydd and Nicholas Renzi return to England in 1803 after tumultuous episodes on the other side of the world, only to find England in peril of starvation and bankruptcy. Kydd is placed back in command of his beloved vessel Teazer, but he barely has time to prep her for the sea before he is sent on an urgent mission. Smugglers, enemy privateers, and treacherous sea conditions await Kydd on his journey to northern France on the eve of war, but equally worrisome events are occurring ashore. When a growing attachment to the admiral's daughter curbs Kydd's blissful reunion with Teazer, he is forced to make a terrible decision that may cause the end of his friendship with Renzi-or the end of his naval career.