Young Giles Jackson’s parents die and he is brought up by an adoptive family who send him to boarding school where he gets expelled for fighting. Instead of returning home, he heads for Poole Harbour, and after saving the life of a sea captain, he voyages to the East Indies by way of the South American colonies and beyond.
The ship is a privateer turning pirate in peacetime. Liking his new life, he is determined to exploit all that foreign realms have to offer.