Autumn, 1917...Britain is surviving the U-boat threat, but there is revolution in Russia and stalemate on the Western Front. In London, plans are afoot to renew pressure in the Middle East to tip the balance in favour of the Allies. Tough, brave and experienced, Commander David Cochrane Smith, hero of Thunder at Dawn and Ship of Force, is on a terrifying assignment in the Mediterranean. The mission is fraught with danger; his force is small and his adversary as able and daring as Smith himself. Against seemingly impossible odds, Smith's task is to sink a heavily armed enemy cruiser. He is utterly determined to succeed, as his nerve and skill are tested to the limit.