Molly, a British girl recently transplanted to Connecticut, gains possession of a rare artifact which transforms her life. Through her dreams she becomes haunted by Sam, a British boy impressed into service aboard the HMS Victory under Vice-Admiral Nelson's command. She is enthralled with Sam's life because she desperately wants to have a connection again with her British home. With time and experience Sam is promoted to powder monkey-carrying ammunition to the cannoneers. Through him, we and Molly see what life would have been like for boys in the British Royal Navy during the Napoleonic wars. Molly and the readers are shifted between her life and the past with the artifact and dreams being the mode of transportation.

Besides life on board the HMS Victory, the story also centers around Molly's struggle to accept her new home and altered life.

The book (a blend of historical and current times) is nothing like Susan Cooper's other stories. The historical portion is quite intense and keeps you wondering what the connection is between Molly and Sam with an unexpected answer to that question.
related-British history, naval history (19th century), HMS Victory, naval stories, stepfather and stepbrother, transatlantic move, culture shock
RL=4th-8th