What is the mystery surrounding the voyage of the Samantha? In Ireland, a woman asks James to get her damaged ship, the Samantha, with its cargo of guano, home to Liverpool. James is convinced there is something suspicious.

James and Albert are responsible for bringing yellow fever into Liverpool. They are shocked to learn that the enquiry into the outbreak will be headed by Albert's father...

Sailing from Foochow in his chartered clipper Osiris, James picks up the lone survivor of a wrecked ship. The survivor has a strange story to tell...