A fourteen-year-old's heart-stopping sea adventure! The war of 1812 is raging and fourteen-year-old Tom Cringle has just been made a lieutenant in the British navy. He's thrilled, but also worried that nobody -- especially hard, seasoned sailors -- will take a kid in charge seriously. There's not too much time to worry though, because suddenly Tom finds himself off the coast of Jamaica: chasing elusive slave ships, fighting man-eating sharks, and enduring brutal battles. Tom struggles with his conscience as he is ordered to travel across swampy wilderness to return a group of stolen slaves back to their master's plantation. Suddenly men are depending on Tom to save their very lives as they travel through uncharted territory with angry and vengeful pirates on their trail. And once again Tom tests his limits as he stands up for what he believes is right, even when authorities disagree with him.