It is 1802. In the struggling seafaring town of Concarneau, on the perilous Breton coast of France, people endure Napoleons increasing taxes and cultural persecution. The last straw comes in the form of a cholera epidemic, in which they lose their only healer. Captain Louis Bedard, master mariner and bereaved patriarch, begrudges God, Napoleon and the Coast Guard. With the encouragement of the mayor - who has his own agenda, which involves Bedard's single daughter - Bedard and his crew resort to smuggling as a path to quick money, which they'll use to bring a doctor to Concarneau. It's a desperate plan worked by desperate men; each month on the dark of the new moon, they slip the safety of the wharf and sail under false identities. They are skilled sailors, but most times they barely avoid the reefs and sandbars, and the risk of capture grows; Concarneaus young and ruthless Coast Guard Lieutenant Peder LaMotte is determined to arrest this unknown smuggler and his crew, gain a promotion, and thereby salvage his own damaged reputation. Bedards plan works until one stormy night when he is betrayed by a vengeful crewmember and arrested by LaMotte. Bedard - still using the security of his alias - awaits trial in the town jail and thinks his life can get no worse, until Nicole, his only and beloved daughter, visits. She brings wonderful news. Finally she has met the man she wants to marry. As Bedard listens, his heart hardens; the man who has captured his daughter's love is his mortal enemy, the very man who arrested him. These three stubborn characters clash in a riveting power struggle. Bedard refuses to give his consent to Nicole's marriage, Nicole discovers that her beloved father is not as innocent as she believes, and LaMotte learns that the young woman who has won his affection is the daughter of a criminal. The choices they make will ulitimately determine the future of the whole town. A gripping tale of adventure, danger, suspense, hidden treasure, love and justice!