Oliver Baldwin (The Greater the Honor), recently returned from his experiences in the Barbary Wars, sails in USS Chesapeake from Hampton Roads, VA in 1807 when the ship is attacked by the British warship, HMS Leopard, in U.S. waters right outside the Virginia Capes. The event was one of the leading causes of the War of 1812. Naturally, a court martial ensues and Stephen Decatur takes command of Chesapeake, sailing to enforce the Jeffersonian embargoes. As the war draws closer, Decatur will gain command of the "heavy" frigate USS United States, taking Oliver Baldwin and Henry Allen with him. Within six months of the declaration of war, they will face and beat HMS Macedonian in a bloody encounter on the far side of the Atlantic. "White's portrayal of the significant early naval encounters of the wear, told by his well-constructed characters, brings to life a period not well known but of crucial importance to the development of the fledgling United States and her Navy."