In this, the Fifth volume of the Hornblower Saga, while making his way with his wife Maria and baby son to London on a Cotswold canal, Hornblower is called upon to act as a bargeman, giving the reader an unexpected image of late 18th century England. Once arrived and captain of the smallest ship in the British Navy, always finding challenge and scope for his abilities, Hornblower must manage 38 barges for the naval procession carrying Nelson's casket from Greenwich up the Thames to Whitehall. After that harrowing experience, he finds an oar with a crossed numeral 7 floating in a dense fog in the Broads which leads, of course, to another successful adventure. And much of the book concerns his and his crews' efforts in raising sunken treasure from a quiet bay in Turkey. Ending at home, with less fortune in sight, Hornblower knows his duty is to his country first, leading the reader to yearn to continue Hornblower's adventures.