Lucy Middleton is young woman on a sea voyage that will forever change her life. Sent to Barbados by her poor parents, she is to marry Sir Herbert Brumley, an aged wine merchant of ill repute. On the ship our heroine falls desperately in love with Lieutenant William, a handsome sailor who will do anything to win her heart. Fate intervenes, leaving Lucy at the mercy of a pirate captain who is willing to make a deal: her body for freedom and the man she loves.