Ramage is hoping to enjoy a well-deserved leave when he instead receives new orders: commission and take command of the Dido, a massive 74-gun ship that carries enough weight of metal to destroy a frigate in a single broadside or sweep a ship's decks clear of men. Accompanied by the courageous crew of the Calypso, Ramage ventures to sea once again—bound for the West Indies, where he faces the challenge of commanding this massive weapon of war.