The merchant ship Cicely is captured by the brilliant and ruthless Captain Morlaix of the French Navy. Apprentice Jack Stone's life is changed forever. Can he survive?
Can anyone stop Morlaix and the French striking a damaging blow to the heart of the British Establishment?
In the time of the French wars, Jack Stone, son of a Portland smuggler, considers himself fortunate to have been apprenticed to the owner of a sailing ship carrying cargoes along the coasts of Britain and to Europe. His dreams of a peaceful seafaring career are shattered, and he finds himself, alone in France, the only loyal Englishman with the knowledge of a plan which Napoleon himself has conceived. Jack must find within himself the resilience to overcome hunger, loneliness and fear, and to use his resourcefulness and seamanship in the service of his country.
Enter the world of Jack Stone, a rapidly changing, dangerous world, but full of opportunity, evoked by the author with an original storyline, tempered by expert knowledge of ships and the sea, and historical accuracy.