Lil promised Captain Alexander Keightley that she would do anything to be off her uncle’s merchant ship. It’s a promise that presses down on her as she fights every day to stay alive and remain safe as a woman among the bloody work and ruthless company of pirates. Desperate for a safe place to land, she attaches herself to the only man aboard who doesn’t appear determined to frighten or harm her: Theo.

Broken by months of abuse aboard Swallow’s Wing, Theo is hesitant to befriend a naive newcomer like Lil. It’s a waste of his efforts to get to know her, as she is destined to become as cruel as the rest of those aboard or die. But she is persistent in her goodness, and Theo is drawn to her light.

Their friendship comes with its own risks. On Swallow’s Wing, even the smallest comfort can become a deadly weapon in the hands of Captain Keightley. 

Just when they can take no more and decide to leave, Keightley learns the lengths Lil’s former love, Jon Holt, has taken to try to rescue her. The rage and scrutiny Lil and Theo have been so careful to avoid crashes down on them. 

Survival is no longer a secret game between allies, but a desperate battle of wills when the hope they clung to floats away.