Young wig-maker Thomas Paine Kydd is impressed and forced to join the crew of a British battleship. He comes to admire the skills and courage of his fellow seamen. But can he accept the challenge himself to become a true sailor and defender of Britain?

Thomas Kydd and his fellow shipwrecked seamates return to England in 1797 for the court-martial of the Artemis' sole surviving officer and are subsequently sent to the Caribbean, where Thomas finds himself on a voyage aboard the naval cutter Seaflower.

Having acquired his first command in a little brig-sloop, Thomas Kydd races the clock to prepare the ship for a battle against Barbary pirates, an effort that stops abruptly when peace is declared, forcing Kydd to take a job as captain of a convict ship transporting criminals to Australia.

Commander Thomas Kydd is eager to play his part in thwarting Bonaparte's plans for the invasion of England. Joining Admiral Nelson's command, Kydd and his ship soon find themselves at the heart of the action of Trafalgar. Kydd's journey takes him from false sightings of the enemy and dramatic chases across the Atlantic, to the bloody annihilation of the enemy during the actual battle, and the heroic aftermath. This is Kydd's most important adventure...

Who will steal the greatest prize of Empire? South America's Spanish colonies are in a ferment of popular unrest. Rumors of a treasure hoard of Spanish silver spur Thomas Kydd's commander-in-chief, Commodore Popham, to assemble a makeshift invasion fleet and launch a bold attack on Buenos Aires. The British invasion force wins a battle against improbable odds, but soon finds itself surrounded by a hostile population. Now Kydd's men must face resistance...

"Napoleon Bonaparte's ambitions for world domination are growing apace, when Captain Sir Thomas Kydd returns to take up command of his ship Tyger, he finds himself called to be part of a great armada on a mission of the utmost urgency. Britain is alone and isolated in Europe. If the kingdom is to thwart a deadly threat she must move very quickly to secure her position with neutral Denmark. A desperate decision is made by the Cabinet. It sends a sea...

1808. Parted from his new bride, Captain Sir Thomas Kydd is called away to join the Northern Expedition to Sweden, now Britain's only ally in the Baltic. Following the sudden declaration of war by Russia and with the consequent threat of the czar's great fleet in St Petersburg, the expedition must defend Britain's dearly-won freedom in those waters. However Kydd finds his popular fame as a frigate captain is a poisoned chalice; in the face of jealousy...