Empress Anna Ivanova decrees that Danish-born Captain-Commander Vitus Jonassen Bering is to spearhead an expedition to explore and map the coastal waters off Siberia, chart a northern sea route to Japan and Cathay, and prove or disprove once and for all the existence of a new continent believed to lie between Russia and the Americas. For Vitus Bering, this epic expedition is a voyage of self-discovery and the realisation of a lifelong ambition. For Bering's dedicated lieutenants, charismatic Martin Spanberg and loyal First Officer Sven Waxell, it is a unique test of their seafaring skills and their instincts for survival. And for German naturalist Georg Wilhelm Steller, it will be in every sense a rite of passage. All the while, back in the hotbed of political intrigue and infighting that is St Petersburg, the time has come to forge new alliances and settle old scores ...