England and France are at war, and their battles rage across the seas.
Henry Hooper and Yves Le Clerq are two young men on opposite sides of the conflict, each serving aboard a Man O' War. As the Napoleonic Wars unfold, their fates intertwine as the HMS Leopard and the Le Cygne chase each other across the waves. Over the years, the ships change with time, successors bearing their names set out to sea, but what of the men aboard them?
They carry the same names, but with each battle, each experience, all the time they spend honing their qualities, they transform into men they no longer recognize. Follow them across their search for meaning and purpose as both men find themselves questioning their identities. Will they escape the shadows of their histories, or will they be consumed by them?