Returning from a mission to Brazil, Captain Tim Phillips returns to London to find a former paramour waiting on the quay. Very pregnant with his child, the couple marry, but his new wife soon dies from the ravages of childbed fever. The war has ended with the abdication of Napoleon Bonaparte and Phillips retires to his country estate. Becoming bored with the tranquil life, he does not object when he is called to command an expedition to South America. As he is about to sail, it is learned that Bonaparte has escaped from exile on Elba and the war is back on again. Phillips sails on to adventure in Mediterranean, Caribbean and African waters.