Captain Dawes of the Brethren of the Coast does not consider himself to be a pirate and finds himself at odds with the piratical ways of his crew. He discovers as well that he is captain only by sufferance – a buccaneer captain is only as good as his last success.
He needs money if he is to set up on land, with a wife and a respectable plantation, and there is only one way to get it. He must take it from the Spanish – or the French or Dutch, if available, but only from the English as a last resort.
The Civil War in Britain is ending and there will soon be national ships back in the Caribbean, possibly bringing law and peace to the troubled waters. He must make his fortune in a hurry and then find a respectable future.
The trouble is, he enjoys roving the seas and respectability promises to be boring.