In January 1782 His Britannic Majesty"s frigate Phalarope is ordered to the assistance of the hard pressed British squadrons in the Caribbean. Aboard is her new commander, Richard Bolitho. To every appearance the Phalarope is everything a young captain could hope for. But beneath the surface she is a deeply troubled ship. Her wardroom is torn by petty greed and ambition, her deckhands driven to the brink of mutiny by senseless ill-treatment. An suspenseful and adventurous nautical tale in the best tradition of the genre.