Her beauty was mingled with madness. Unable to escape the horrific memory of a pirate attack, Evangeline Avenes is haunted by the specter of diabolical Captain Pyke. But she was not the only child to survive that fateful day. Alessio Draven is forever connected to Evangeline through the violence and bloodshed. When the brutal man who destroyed her childhood turns up later in her life, destiny affords her revenge and she kills him.

After an earthquake sinks Port Royal beneath the waves, the young couple flee to England where they marry and attempt to rebuild their lives. But all is not well with Evangeline. Suffering from delusions, she commits an unspeakable crime. Fearing for his wife's sanity he places her in the care of Doctor Giles Nesbit, a doctor who specializes in treating ailments of the mind. Evangeline wakes to find herself prisoner in a sanitarium.

Experimenting with mind-altering toxins, Giles Nesbit is fascinated by the reaction it creates in Evangeline. She warns him a ghostly pirate is coming for her. To his disbelief, pirates show up at the asylum. Not imaginary ones, but real ones intent on finding Evangeline. To stop Alessio from rescuing his wife, Giles has no choice, but to go along with the pirate's dastardly plan or be exposed for the medical experiments he is conducting on his patients.

Alessio finds Evangeline suffering from amnesia. Three men claim her as their wife and an inquest is ordered to sort out the matter. The disguised pirates reveal themselves and take vengeance on all in attendance. Lives are lost, futures altered and bounties placed. Kidnapped by the son of Captain Pyke, Evangeline is taken to the house where the murderous pirate lord lived. Alessio Draven takes to the sea, battling time, tide, and the forces of nature to save the woman he loves.