In 17th Century London, innocent Leah Brown learns she is to be married to a planter in Barbados - a man she hates. In her misery she roams the city alone and is abused by ruffians, but when saved by Captain Gideon Tempest she falls into the hands of his jealous mistress, and sent on a journey that leads her into a debauched world of pain and pleasure. When Leah learns that Gideon is in Newgate Prison she devises a plan to save him, but is blackmailed into bondage. She finally obtains his freedom and he proposes, but she has to sail for the West Indies and life with a man who dabbles in the black arts; a man with cruel demands and threats of turning her into a zombie. Once again Captain Tempest saves Leah, but when he sets sail on a mission a female freebooter, Spanish Bel, falls for her charms. Leah welcomes Bel's lust, but when Tempest returns who will she choose? And who will be man enough - or woman enough - to claim her?