Summer 1746. Louisbourg has fallen. HMS Mermaid, a forty gun ship of the line, escorts a convoy containing surrendered Frenchmen across the Atlantic to Brest, France. Pressed sailor, Jon Swift, struggles with personal demons. Torn from his family by the press gang, their welfare still haunts him. The inequities and injustices onboard a Royal Navy ship of the line add fuel to the fire. Swift seriously contemplates desertion. Events on the Mermaid continually place Swift in harm's way further swaying him. On the other side of the coin, Swift is proud of his achievements, and with no other skills except sailing, a sea life beckons. Will his pride and fortitude see him through this dilemma, or will punishment and arrogance tip the scales the other way?