In April 1805 during the Napoleonic Wars, the H.M.S. Surprise, a British frigate, is under the command of Captain Jack Aubrey. Aubrey and the Surprise s current orders are to track and capture or destroy a French privateer named Acheron. The Acheron is currently in the Atlantic off South America headed toward the Pacific in order to extend Napoleon s reach of the wars. This task will be a difficult one as Aubrey quickly learns in an initial battle with the Acheron that it is a bigger and faster ship than the Surprise, which puts the Surprise at a disadvantage. Aubrey s single-mindedness in this seemingly impossible pursuit puts him at odds with the Surprise s doctor and naturalist, Stephen Maturin, who is also Aubrey s most trusted advisor on board and closest friend. Facing other internal obstacles which have resulted in what they consider a string of bad luck,...