Tap Duvarney lost his innocence in the War Between the States, and then put his skills to the test as a soldier in the frontier army. Now he has settled on the Texas coast, working a ranch as the partner of his old friend Tom Kittery - and finding himself in the middle of a feud between Kittery and the neighboring Munson family. Around Matagorda Island, most people are either backing the Munsons or remaining silent. But the danger from outside Kittery's...

Ponga Jim Mayo, the American master of the Semiramis, a tramp freighter, explores the area around Indonesia, encountering pirates, spies, drug peddlers, and gunrunners.