Its 1812. Hornblower, now married to Lady Barbara, is promoted Commodore commanding a squadron and sent to the Baltic where he aids the Russians during the time Napoleon's army marches into Russia.The commodore works with Colonel von Clausewitz in the defense of Riga. He comes through raids, assignations, a siege, an attempted assassination by a member of his crew , and typhus, seeking success but not notoriety, while his introspection sometimes overwhelms him. According to his biographer, Hornblower's swift actions using ungainly bomb-ketches, landed marines and his naval insight for strategy and tactics probably had major influences on the retreat of Napoleon from Russia. Another great read.