It is August 1976 and an oppressive heat hangs over Romney Marsh in the South East corner of England.
Soon after the birth of her daughter, Hazel Dawkins, a young lawyer, is unexpectedly asked to return to work. No sooner has she agreed than she discovers that a dark force threatens both her family and her country; and before long, the past and present intertwine in a rising tide of horrifying events.
Haunted by terrifying images, she knows that she must uncover secrets from the past if she is to avert a catastrophe that will destroy all that she holds dear.
What draws her to the painting depicting a sudden storm at sea on a night in 1803 as Napoleon prepares to invade England?
What is the secret of the man pegged down to die on the incoming tide?
As Hazel seeks the answers to these questions, she faces evil and intrigue, her life and that of her baby daughter, threatened at every turn.