In the 18th century West Indies, stories hold the ultimate power. Sailors spin yarns about pirates. Newspapers tell tales full of half-truths. Myths spread like whispered wildfire.

East India Company sailor Nicholas Jerome has no patience for pirates, determined to leave his father’s thieving past behind. After a convict and an enslaved woman escape his grasp with the aid of an aristocrat’s mysterious wife, he faces one last chance to save his career. Finding an unexpected home with a new crew, he gains a chosen younger brother in René Delacroix, the son of his wealthy captain and the grandson of Jamaica’s cruel governor.

But there’s a storm brewing in the Delacroix household. For René and his best friend Frantz, the Robin Hood tales about legendary pirate Ajani Danso and his famed female quartermaster are a lifeline amidst the governor’s abuse. Danso robs greedy merchants, frees slaves, and shelters queer sailors, inspiring the downtrodden across the New World.

When death and betrayal shatter the lives they knew, René and Jerome each face a choice: obey, or rebel.

A war for history’s favor begins, and as an uprising against colonialism erupts on the ocean, everyone must choose a story to believe in.

What the sea has drawn together, let no man tear asunder.

Nicholas Jerome and René Delacroix once swore themselves inseparable. Now a lieutenant in the English Royal Navy, Jerome is tasked with catching pirates in tandem with Michel Delacroix. When a seemingly insignifcant clue reveals what might be the ultimate betrayal, Jerome pursues it with single-minded purpose. Rene, the brother he lost, is at home with his new family on Ajani Danso's legendary crew—and he's desperate not to be found.

Pirates flock to Nassau while Europe is at war. Danso and Abeni cement their place in the lore of the West Indies, determined to keep the newly coined pirate republic safe from squabbling monarchs. The pirates on the Misericorde accomplish ever more daring feats, but Danso's anxiety grows as Jerome's shadow creeps closer, jeopardizing the life he's worked so hard to build. René's burgeoning reputation becomes a story all its own, and when civilization sweeps Danso up in its clutches, both must decide whether to run from the past, or face it head on.

Lives that split apart crash back together. Colonial powers show their might. To resist is madness, but Robin Hood and his men will not give in to empires.