For a man of war, peacetime is the ultimate challenge. Leaving behind them a Europe still taking stock after the definitive battle of Waterloo, Jack Aubrey and his friend Stephen Maturin set sail for Chile. But even with the newly minted peace, life at sea remains beset with danger and imminent disaster, and the political turmoil of the South American continent is equal to any threat they have yet faced. Out of loss - of purpose, of love - can the two friends rescue what they most desire? 'Beyond his superbly elegant writing, wit and originality, [O'Brian] showed an understanding of the nature of a floating world at the mercy of the wind and sea which has never been surpassed.' MAX HASTINGS, Evening Standard 'From the opening page I was addicted to what I judge to be one of the greatest cycles of storytelling in the English language.' WILLIAM WALDEGRAVE, Daily Telegraph