Kit Brightling, rescued as a foundling and raised in a home for talented girls, has worked hard to rise through the ranks and become one of the few female captains in Queen Charlotte's fleet. But the waters become perilous when the queen sends Kit on a special mission with a partner she never asked for. Rian Grant, Viscount Queenscliffe, may be a veteran of the Continental war, but Kit doesn't know him or his motives. Kit can lead her ship and clever crew on her own, but with the fate of queen and country at stake, Kit and Rian must learn to trust each other, or else the Isles will fall.