This is an Honourable Duncan Morant naval thriller. By the end of 1941, the war has become global, but for Britain the focal point of the struggle is the island of Malta, an essential halfway house for convoys from Gibraltar to Alexandria as well as a fortress across the Axis supply route from Italy to Libya. In an attempt to match the large numbers of Italian boats in service, a squadron of British Motor Torpedo Boats is sent to help out. Commanding this flotilla is Commander Lord Eversham. To Duncan this is a splendidly adventurous break from the cold waters of the Channel and the North Sea, but it involves leaving his young wife and infant son. Accompanying him in the flotilla flagship is, as always, his friend and engineer Jamie Goring.The action and drama crowds upon the little ships and for Duncan and Jamie becomes emotionally complicated when Duncan's outrageous mother turns up in Malta in company with their old friend the American socialite Rebecca Strong, now on a mission for the State Department. While the waves created by their unexpected appearance are still breaking, orders arrive for the flotilla to undertake a virtual suicide mission...