Edward O'Corboy is an Irish patriot who bitterly resents England's rule in Ireland. When his father is killed he vows revenge on MacMurrough, the duelist who pulled the trigger. But England is about to go to war with revolutionary France and since MacMurrough holds a commission in the French navy, O'Corboy joins the Royal Navy as the best way to get at him.
During his careers through the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars O'Corboy's rises from midshipman to post-captain and participates in the Siege of Toulon, the Glorious First of June, Cape St. Vincent, the Siege of Acre and Trafalgar.