It is the late autumn of 1854 and the steam gunboat Spartan, commanded by James Rutherford has returned to duty following the repair of her battle damage in Calcutta.
Another, though less powerful, Russian commerce raider is still at large in the China Sea, though as events follow their course, Rutherford is forced to confront the fact that this lesser antagonist might be a more potent adversary than he previously believed.
