Jesamiah Acorne, Captain of the Sea Witch, has received a pardon for his crimes of piracy; but is still unable to free his love Tiola Oldstagh from her unhappy marriage to Stefan van Overstratten. As a white witch Tiola has the means of saving herself but refuses to use her Craft, so Jesamiah must think of a brave solution. War is again looming between England and Spain. The Admiralty in London is desperate for intelligence reports but their spy has failed to return from the Spanish-held territory of Hispaniola.
For Jesamiah to free Tiola from the clutches of her legal husband, he must undertake to find out why - a task that will not be easy, for Jesamiah is half Spanish and the Spaniards most desperately want to hang him. Political intrigue, battles at sea, piracy and romance. A white witch, a charming rogue of a pirate and a spy who turns out to be a woman intent on seducing Jesamiah, all mixed together with an element of supernatural fantasy.