Midshipman Jack Byron joins the crew of the British naval ship, the Wager, on an ill-fated mission that ends in mutiny, murder, and a fight for survival.

Captain Jack Aubery of the Diane shepherds Stephen Maturin on a diplomatic mission to prevent Bonaparte and the Malay princes from forming a pack.

First sent on a decoy mission to the Gulf of Guinea, Aubrey's seamanship and Maturin's resourcefulness as a secret intelligence agent are tested at their true destination, Ireland, where the French are mounting an invasion.

Sequel to: The Thirteen Gun Salute. Captain Aubrey, ship's surgeon and intelligence agent Stephen Maturin, and the crew of the Diane are shipwrecked on a remote island in the Dutch East Indies.