Pirate

1677 - Snatched from an Irish village by Barbary corsairs, 17 year old Hector Lynch finds himself in a bewildering world where life is cheap and only the quick- witted survive. Befriended by fellow captive Dan, they escape horrors of the slave barracks by converting to Islam; then, serving aboard a Turkish ship, their vessel is sunk at sea.

Diving for plunder in the Caribbean, Hector Lynch and his companions are spotted by a Spanish ship. Escaping capture by burning the vessel's sails - an act of piracy - they head for Tortuga, where Hector's wife Maria awaits. He longs for a better life for them both, on the right side of the law. But the crew run into Laurens de Graff - a renowned mercenary captain now in command of a royal French frigate - and after fleeing his clutches, they are cast away on a tiny desert island, Salt Tortuga.