1688 . . . Nick Pearson, his sweetheart Sarah, and his best friend Harry live in the English village of Naunton, but a new law called “inclosure” divides them by driving Nick and his family from home to the dirty port city of Bristol. There, desperate for money, Nick uses his sword-fighting skills to try to save his family from poverty and move back to Naunton to claim Sarah’s hand. However, as he delves ever deeper into Bristol’s underworld its promise of freedom, gain, and adventure begin to outweigh its dangers, and Nick soon wonders if he wants a quiet life back in the village. Meanwhile, back in Naunton, as Sarah grieves over her mother’s death she faces the advances of the lecherous Lord Richard Furth. When Harry becomes an important ally in her struggles she finds herself unexpectedly drawn to him in a way that confuses her as she tries to hold onto her love for Nick even though he has left her behind. As further catastrophe strikes, she, like Nick, must take control of her destiny, and Harry does what he can to help her. With their innocence threatened and their world crashing all around them, all three struggle to survive, which leads to measures they never could have imagined, including deception, violence, and . . . ultimately . . . piracy.