"In the fleet of Charles the Second there were gentlemen and there were sailors. But the sailors were not gentlemen, and the gentlemen were not sailors." Thomas Macaulay "History of England". Unlike the army, service in the navy seemed unprestigious to the nobles; sailors were considered the dregs of society. In addition, maritime service requires knowledge of navigation, “material parts” are also low sciences, and complex ones at that. But the command of such a valuable combat unit as a ship could only be entrusted to one of their own, so gentlemen were appointed captains of the ships. And since the gentleman knew nothing about maritime affairs, all issues of managing the ship were decided by the skipper and assistants assigned to him. This is the kind of gentleman-captain that Matthew Quinton became, a representative of a noble but impoverished noble family who returned to a ruined estate after the restoration of Charles II to the throne. Completely inexperienced not only in maritime affairs, but also in politics, the young man is entrusted with a dangerous and secret mission in Scottish waters, where Matthew will have to receive a baptism of fire and embark on the path of transformation from a gentleman captain into a real ship captain.