The fourteenth book in the Aubrey/Maturin series. We find Aubrey, Maturin and the crew of the 'Diane' where the previous book left them: shipwrecked and living a Robinson Crusoe existence on a remote island in the Dutch East Indies. They struggle to survive and meet Malay pirates who ruin what seems to be the marooned crew's last chance of escape. Now, surprisingly, their salvation lies in the nesting habits of a seemingly insignificant bird. They make it to Batvia, where Aubrey and Maturin take a new ship, the 'Nutmeg of Consolation', and continue on their voyage, visiting the penal colony of New South Whales in Australia, where they take an excursion into the natural wonders of the outback.