A wronged man. A hidden treasure. A secret that could change the world.

England, 1741. When young farmhand, Caleb, is caught in a romantic tryst with the daughter of Jacob Stevenson, he is publicly flogged and sent away on The Retribution, flagship of the Stevenson fleet. His simple life turned upside down, Caleb must come to terms with the thrills and dangers of life at sea as he finds himself voyaging to the New World.

Awaiting him in Rio de Janeiro is an adventure beyond his wildest imaginings, a land of opportunity but also great hardship. A dangerous place where slavers and pirates stalk the seas. And the most dangerous pirate of all — Jackson Bell, leader of the notorious and feared Scarlets — wants the secret that The Retribution is carrying. A secret so great it could grant the bearer, power over the known world.

Will Jackson Bell get what he wants and plunge the world into chaos or can Caleb stop him and survive in this new world?

Wilbur Smith and Clive Cussler meet Bernard Cornwell in this story about the price of freedom, the cost of revenge and the siren song of power and privilege.