H.M.S. Surprise, the third in O'Brian′s acclaimed Aubrey-Maturin series, follows the variable fortunes of Captain Jack Aubrey′s career in Nelson's navy as he attempts to hold his ground against admirals, colleagues and the enemy, and accepts a commission to convey a British ambassador to the East Indies.

The voyage takes him and his friend Stephen Maturin to the strange sights and smells of the Indian subcontinent, and through the archipelago of Spice Islands where the French have a near-overwhelming local superiority.