1842. Joshua Weyland is languishing in America and desperate to return to England and his fiance. He ships home on a small brig but when it founders on rocks off the coast of Cornwall and he narrowly escapes with his life, it's clear to him that the ship had been deliberately wrecked.

Who could be responsible? From the eccentric doctor and his daughter who nurse him back to health, to the local fishermen, tin miners and 'Preventers' tasked with subduing smuggling activity, Joshua has plenty of questions which could land him in serious trouble. When an epic storm erupts and another ship is in peril, Joshua is forced to fight for his life to avert disaster and get to the bottom of the mystery.