The waters off the coast of Africa are red from the blood shed in the war between England and Holland for the right to maritime supremacy. Privateers on both sides make huge fortunes by hunting enemy merchant ships. The English captain Sir Francis Courtney, like a sea hawk, pursues the ships of the East India companies whose holds are full of untold treasures. But soon Sir Francis’ luck changes - he dies at the hands of traitors. Then his seventeen-year-old son Hal rises to the captain's bridge, vowing to take revenge on his father's killers at any cost... Wilbur Smith's unforgettable epic saga, written with excellent knowledge of the realities of the past, takes readers to one of the most interesting periods of history - the adventurous 17th century.