A young Victorian German aristocrat, Erik, the black sheep of the family, is disowned by his family. Erik finds himself broke, without family, and with few friends. Lost and looking for a place to belong (and an income), Erik finds himself in the service of the Kaiser. Discovered by British and American agents on his first mission, he sneaks away in the dead of the night on a sailing ship. He signs onto the Bay of Panama as a navigator. The ship wrecks off the coast of England during a winter storm. What will become of this young playboy? Will he live long enough to make it to England and his second mission, or freeze to death within sight of land? Only time will tell. The story is set at the end of the 19th century.