This tale is set in 1813 and England is at war with France and America. 11-year-old Kate Griffiths is living with her mean aunt, awaiting the call to join her parents in America. Her only escape from her life of drudgery is when she disguises herself as a boy and walks down by the docks. One day, entirely by accident, she finds herself on board ship and in the Rope School of one of His Majesty's sloops of war! Under the watchful eye of the mysterious Jago, Kate learns about hammock-hook-hitches and sheet bends, shrouds and sails, as well as the often harsh realities of shipboard life. But this is nothing to the tangle of mystery, adventure, treachery and surprise that awaits her on the high seas.