In April 1784, Captain Horatio Nelson, commanding His Majesty's frigate Boreas, sets sail from Spithead, bound for the Caribbean to enforce the hated Navigation Acts. While stationed in the Leeward Islands, a dream of domestic happiness leads him to marry a young widow, Fanny Nesbit. Meanwhile, Emma Lyon, mistress of Charles Grenville, sits as an artist's model, her pictures selling briskly. When Grenville's uncle, Sir William Hamilton, joins them in Naples, Emma finds herself the object of Hamilton's desire. Her eventual marriage to Hamilton seems the epitome of good fortune, opening all the doors of Europe to her.

Three years later, Nelson is ordered to carry a letter to King Ferdinand in Naples. There he meets the Hamiltons, and Emma finds herself inexplicably drawn to the brash sea captain.

David Donachie's compelling dialogue and re-creation of vivid naval battles-Cape St Vincent, Tenerife, and the Nile-are meticulously based on detailed historical research. The toll of war, both physical and emotional, becomes a poignant part of Nelson's journey as he battles not only his enemies but also his own inner demons. Despite the hardships, he gains the fame and honor he desperately craves-and the woman he loves.