Captain Jack Aubrey sets sail for the South China Sea with a new lease on life. Following reinstatement into the Royal Navy. Maturin climbs the Thousand Steps of the sacred crater of the orangutans. A killer typhoon catches Aubrey and his crew trying to work the Diane off a reef. In the barbaric court of Pulo Prabang a diplomatic mission tries to prevent links between Bonaparte and the Malay princes which would put English merchant shipping at risk.