The sequel to "Rites of Passage".

          Edmund Talbot, introduced to us in the earlier volume, Rites of Passage, continues his slow voyage to Australia in an old naval ship of the line. Against the odds, he successfully learns lessons about — and from – love and life, in an enforced and cramped exposure to varied men and women, within the formal framework and discipline of the early nineteenth century Royal Navy, the other hero of the book.