Winter, 1777. After the American victories at Trenton and Princeton the British and their Hessian allies have withdrawn to a handful of overcrowded positions in Northeastern New Jersey. In order to feed their men and horses the British must venture into the Jersey countryside to seize supplies. But morale among the Continental troops and Jersey Militia is high, and they will challenge every British foray: one British officer will describe the experience of walking into an American ambush as being like stumbling into "a nest of hornets."Gideon Hawke and Ruth Munroe find themselves right in the middle of this fighting. Not only must they battle the British and Hessians, but it appears that someone in the American camp is feeding information to the British. Will they find the enemy spy before his efforts cost Gideon and his men their lives?