When a mysterious schooner blows into the little town of Kenomee, tongues start wagging. Like the other villagers gathered at the wharf, Hetty Douglas can't help but be fascinated by the Esmeralda and her ragtag crew. Suffocating in a marriage of convenience and tormented by memories of the Halifax Explosion, Hetty falls under the spell of an exotic sailor-woman. So does Noble Matheson, who has seen enough to draw his own conclusions.

A compelling story of 20th-century piracy, Rachael Preston's fast-paced novel explores the complex struggle for freedom against a backdrop of passion and repression.