In the final decade of the 17th century in England, the Dutch trade wars are coming to a close, and the struggles with the French for naval supremacy are just starting. Meanwhile, young Matthew Loftus has no intention of spending his life underground in the coal mines of Whitby. Living in a seaside town, he studies navigation and yearns to go to sea, following in his late father's footsteps. He eventually leaves the port of Whitby for what he expects will be a short voyage, but after he risks his life to save a man who fell overboard, Loftus is himself rescued by a passing Dutch trader—that turns out to be a pirate ship. The Dutch vessel sweeps Matthew to the Spanish Main where he, surprisingly readily, plunges into a bloody life of pillage and prize money. Struggling to adhere to his code of honor yet seduced by life at sea, Matthew carries in his heart the hope of reclaiming his rightful legacy. Furthermore, he longs to be worthy of the woman he loves—the woman he left behind in Whitby—who was on the brink of marriage to another man. Fierce sea battles, lawless privateers, naval skirmishes, and ruthless slave traders combine in this story of adventure and high drama.