Deep within each man, lies the secret knowledge of whether he is a stalwart or a coward. Three years an un-blooded Royal Marine, 1st Lieutenant Thomas Pennywhistle will finally "meet the lion, " protecting HMS Bellerophon at the Battle of Trafalgar. Not only will Pennywhistle be responsible for the lives of 72 marines aboard Bellerophon but their direction will fall entirely on his shoulders since his fellow Marine officers consist of a boy, a card shark, and a dying consumptive. If he has what it takes to command, it will take everything he's got. In the course of the battle, he will encounter marvels and terrors, from valiant foes to women performing miracles, from the skill of acrobats to the luck of the ship's cat, from a dead man still full of fight to a coward who has none. He and his Marines will meet enemy élan will with trained volleys and disciplined bayonets. Most of all, he will meet himself, discovering just how dark his true nature really is. Europe will be changed forever by Trafalgar, and so will Pennywhistle.