In 1793, John Pearce and four companions are seized from a London tavern and illegally pressed into HMS Brilliant. Hostile to naval authority and ignorant of shipboard life, they are placed under Captain Ralph Barclay and must survive discipline, battle and the dangers of an untrained crew.
Pearce’s resistance binds the five men into the group later known as the Pelicans. Their attempt to secure justice and freedom begins a feud with Barclay while the outbreak of war with Revolutionary France carries them towards combat they never chose.
