The time is 1759-1760, the year of the great battle for New France waged in and about Quebec. Three years before the story starts Steve Eliot had been kidnapped by Indians from his home in Massachusetts and sold to a cruel and greedy merchant in Quebec. Now General James Wolfe is sailing boldly up the St. Lawrence to challenge General Montcalm.

Steve finds himself entangled in a network of grave danger and a confusion of loyalties--also in a mystery which has something to do with some documents he had signed. The plot abounds in action -- stirring battles between French and English, skirmishes with Indians, captures and escapes. There are glimpses of Wolfe and Montcalm, and an unforgettable picture of the long, starving winter in beleaguered Quebec. The historical background throughout is based on a great deal of careful research, much of it from eyewitness accounts.

At the same time, Steve's adventures are full of color and intrigue. All this adds up to a story that is both suspenseful and satisfying.