Abducted off the Chalmette battlefield outside New Orleans, privateer Richard Tetrault escapes from a chilling empire agent, who unknowingly convinces Richard of his deadly legacy by identifying the figures in a childhood memory. Richard overpowers the implacable Napoleonic monster, only to walk into the drawn pistols of Denis Delonde and his minions. Denis claims Richard’s legacy and so Richard must die. Meanwhile, Tara Kendall and Richard’s mother, Francine, are rescued by Richard’s loyal Indian comrade from a trapper’s slave den deep in the swamps, but not before Tara is brutally raped. Heart broken and certain Richard will not want her, Tara remains determined to carve out a life for herself. A sudden storm pounces on them as they head into the gulf in a leaky yawl. As the yawl sinks, they are consigned to a raging sea. After surviving so much, will they drown within sight of their destination, within sight of Richard and freedom? Can Richard overcome Denis’ savagery, redeem his identity and the life he envisions for himself and Tara?
