Immortality is a gift, freely bestowed, not something that can be stolen.

When workmen uncover a priceless hoard of jewels in London in 1912, most of it is bought by the London Museum. The brightest of all the jewels is a watch carved from a single emerald. Its origin is a mystery.

In 1642, Fien’s father, an Antwerp art collector, is murdered by Lord Lindsey who ransacks his collection at the behest of King Charles I of England. She escapes and, disguised as a boy, flees on a pirate ship, The Odyssey, captained by an enigmatic red-haired woman. Fien tells her about the emerald watch her father always wore around his neck, and is shocked to hear it could be the fabled Immortality Clock, which bestows eternal life on its wearer.

From Antwerp to the Persian Gulf, Fien and the misfit crew of The Odyssey must overcome storms and tragedy to get to England in pursuit of Lindsey. When they finally get there, what confronts them is beyond their imagination.