Gone is the "Age of sail" when men went to sea in search of adventure and glory. But the sea still beckons us with her mystery, her solitude, her rage. In the pages of this book, readers can experience the power and majesty of the sea once more. Set during the War of 1812, this seafaring novel invites us to befriend its loveable characters and takes us on the journey of a lifetime. The scene is Fells Point, Baltimore. A bawdy harbor town whose residents are caught up in the fever for prize money following the declaration of war against Great Britain. Young Michael Dooley has just lost his mother to a different kind of fever and then learns his father is kidnapped by the British. Saddened and confused, Michael charts out a course of action using the dictates of an ancient family code. Together with his rambunctious Uncle Bob and some faithful friends, Michael joins the crew of a privateer captained by the gallant and audacious Thomas Boyle. As a powder monkey on Boyle's fast schooner, and over the course of the war, Michael learns about love and hate, life and death, and, more importantly, individual obligation.