Henry Phipps is on a quest to realise his dying mother's last wish: to be buried at sea. Not an easy task considering Henry's father is in debtor's prison and his earnest older brother is fighting the red coats on the battlefields of Maryland. But Henry's stubborn determination knows no bounds. As he dodges the cannon fire of clashing armies he meets looters, defectors, renegade slaves, a pregnant maiden, and scoundrels of all types. Mad Boy is at once an antic adventure and a thoroughly convincing work of historical fiction that recreates a young nation's first truly international conflict.