It's 1781. Midshipman Alan Lewrie—a scandalous young London rake whose amorous onshore adventures led to his being pressed into His Majesty's Service by his own father—chafes against life in the Royal Navy, but to his amazement he finds himself a born sailor and soon winning respect aboard HMS Desperate. As the American colonies continue their war of independence, Desperate is called upon to fight the determined rebels and their French allies. Lewrie and his sailors join the loyalists on land and learn the brutal truth of civil war where brother turns against brother. Amid the flaming wreckage of the once-proud city of Yorktown, Lewrie must prove his mettle to his commanding officer and to himself.