Captain Petroc Gray, commander of the ship-rigged sloop of war, HMS

Kestrel, is drawn into diplomacy, intrigue, and espionage when he

rescues the Freiherr von Dieffenbach and his family off the island of

Rügen in the Baltic. The Freiherr is an important and valuable

connection in the struggle to beat the Napoleonic Continental blockade

of British trade, and his daughter, Silke, is a delightful young woman

with a quick wit, brilliant intelligence, and a keen eye for observing

the events unfolding around them. The ever-changing political alliances

of the Northern European and Scandinavian states-war, sea battles,

storms, death, and Napoleon's "hundred days" leading to the defeat at

Waterloo--all conspire to frustrate Petroc's intention to seek Silke's

hand in marriage, right to the last. But Petroc isn't one to be easily

defeated, whether he is navigating the open seas or matters of the

heart, and Silke stands bright and strong in his life like a beacon in a

safe harbour.