Marcus Palliser

In 1702 young Matthew Loftus vows to captain his ship by honest trade rather than piracy, but in the lawless Caribbean sea, with a crew eager for riches, he is soon put to the test.

At the end of the Dutch trade wars, Matthew Stalbone longs to go to sea in command of a sailing ship. When his dream is wrecked on the Essex shoals he is plunged into a life of pillage and prize money.

Matthew loftus has found honest employment as a fur trader off Newfoundland. In 1708 when the English navy sails into port he is sent on a dangerous mission to Hudson Bay, but finds himself also trying to foil the French navy.