The year is 1779, the colonials with the aid of French Admiral D’estang are rumored to be plotting to retake Savannah. Donland is tasked to ferret out information concerning French intentions. He will do so without his trusted first lieutenant and friend who is near death, and the doctor holds out little hope. Unknown to Donland, as he is focused on the discovery the French fleet, is Sumerford's scheme to settle an old score with a traitor on the Island of Jamaica.

The test of enemy fire refines a man's courage. Duty refines a man's character. Donland must face challenges by enemies at sea, calm seas and sudden fierce storms. The Caribbean and Windward Islands are beset with pirates and privateers plundering for themselves or their French masters. His greatest challenge lies in balancing his relationship as Hornet's Captain with those he would call friend. He must sit idly by and observe the Battle of Grenada as French and English ships-of-line pound each other

Hornet was a cursed ship. Distrust of the fever-laden Hornet and the young American-born captain are a poor fit to the fleet of Admiral Hyde Parker and Admiral Rowley. Yet, their communications are hampered by a small squadron of Spanish, and Hornet is given the task of running the gauntlet. Trapped and outgunned, he must use his wits to escape and keep the dispatches he is carrying from falling into the hands of the Spanish. From Charles Town to Martinique Donland faces storms, treachery, and envy.

The task is simple. "Deliver the prize to the Admiral in Antigua." But nothing's simple for Lieutenant Donland as the leaking ship sinks beneath his feet. Aboard is a young boy with no memory that the French desperately want to capture. Donland's first command may well be his only command as he fights off traitors, spies, and a young woman ready to split his gizzard. 

After a century of war, revolutions, and imperial conquests, 1790s Europe is still embroiled in a battle for control of the sea and colonies. Tall ships navigate familiar and foreign waters, and ambitious young men without rank or status seek their futures in naval commands. First Lieutenant Alexander Clay of the frigate Agrius is self-made, clever, and ready for the new age. But the old world, dominated by patronage, retains a tight hold on advancement.