In the Atlantic Ocean, an English warship boards a French frigate. On board the frigate, English sailors discover the egg of a very rare breed of dragon, which is about to hatch. This is how the main characters meet - Captain Lawrence and the dragon Desperate. Napoleonic wars with the participation of dragons. Lizards acting as “intelligent aircraft”. Legendary monsters holding the rank of officer and teaching human “aviators” the difficult art of flying dragons. Is this possible? In Naomi Novik's stunning novel, anything is possible!..