Daniel Markham loved his fathers mysterious friends, visiting in the dead of night but always gone by morning. He never imagined they could be pirates. But when the Markhams merchant vessel is plundered by the pirate ship Tempest Galley and his father shot dead in an act of revenge, Daniel cant deny the truth. And now, orphaned and alone, Daniel is trapped and faced with a choice: Join the crew or die. Unprepared for the temptations of pirate life and for the captains inexplicable kindness toward him, Daniel knows only one thing for certain: One false step on a pirate ship could be deadly, and hell do anything to stay alive.From the Hardcover edition.