After rescuing Drewett, Miles Wallingford returns home only to suffer the devastating death of his beloved sister Grace, whose health has been broken by Rupert’s conduct, while his own love for Lucy remains clouded by the mistaken belief that she is destined to marry Drewett. Leaving grief and the financial troubles surrounding Clawbonny behind, Miles takes command of the Dawn and returns to sea, where pursuit, impressment, and seizure by British naval forces expose him to the precarious position of American neutral shipping during the European wars. With the help of Marble, Neb, and a handful of companions, he retakes the Dawn without bloodshed and decides to avoid the British cruisers by steering for a French port, carrying the story into an even more dangerous phase of maritime conflict.