Fledgling vampire Prudence Hightower longs for love. Not the tainted love of the vampire Nicolae but that of a mortal man - the pirate Stede Bonham. But Stede's happy-go-lucky nature hides a secret that can destroy her faith in love as surely as Nicolae destroyed her mortality. As the French tricolor is lowered in New Orleans with the American purchase, and old-world Creoles clash with arrogant Americans, the key to reclaiming Pru's lost soul lies...