An enemy frigate is outward bound to play havoc with the vital British whaling trade, and must be stopped at all costs.

Racing against time, Captain Jack Aubrey and his crew must chase the USS Norfolk as she rounds Cape Horn, pursuing her into the Great South Sea and beyond. Following the equator, ahead of them lies not only the natural wonders of the Galapagos but also a succession of disasters - men overboard, castaways, typhoons, shipwrecks, to say nothing of murder and criminal insanity.

In a deadly game of cat and mouse with their American foes, will Jack Aubrey and his crew triumph, despite the odds?