1842. Joshua Weyland is languishing in America and desperate to return to England and his fiancee. He ships home on a small brig but when it founders on rocks off the coast of Cornwall and he narrowly escapes with his life, it's clear to him that the ship had been deliberately wrecked. From the eccentric doctor and his daughter who nurse him back to health, to the local fishermen, tin miners and 'Preventers' tasked with subduing smuggling activity, Joshua has plenty of questions which could land him in serious trouble. Joshua is forced to fight for his life to avert disaster and get to the bottom of the mystery.