Jack Aubrey and Stephen Maturin, now veterans of many battles, return to where their acquaintance began - to the waters of the Mediterranean Sea. But Jack is now a respectable captain of a ship of the line. There is a blockade of the French port of Toulon, and this war, tedious and protracted, is not at all similar to the dashing raids of previous times. A sudden turn of events involves him and Stephen in a dangerous mission on the Greek islands, which will require the remarkable talent of a sailor and all the famous luck of Lucky Jack Aubrey, who entered into battle with a numerically superior enemy and triumphantly snatched victory.