Restored to naval service, Jack Aubrey takes HMS Diane on a diplomatic mission to the fictional Malay state of Pulo Prabang. Britain hopes to secure an alliance before French agents can gain control of the court.
Stephen Maturin enters a struggle of bribery, natural history and intelligence against his old enemy Ledward. After the mission, an uncharted reef destroys Diane and strands the expedition at the edge of the East Indies.
The Pulo Prabang mission shows naval power operating through diplomacy rather than battle. Aubrey’s ship provides prestige and protection, but Maturin’s intelligence work may determine whether the ruler accepts British or French influence. The wreck of Diane then strips the expedition of that advantage, forcing officers, sailors and agents to survive far from the institutional strength on which their mission depended.
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