After the death of his father and two sisters and the unlawful arrest of his mother, twelve year- old peter barons joins a band of orphans known as the black dragons, a young pirate crew who scavenges ships in their country of kirkston. these so-called pirates use the stolen goods to help feed, clothe, and protect the innocent townsfolk against the king's harsh rule. in the black dragon tradition, peter adopts the nickname smith, and at age seventeen, smith, an expert swordsman, becomes captain of the black dragons. he and his crew handily defeat their foes, but their greatest battle rests within the palace walls as the general, john stevenson, threatens the livelihood of the country. smith's crew concocts a bold plan to rid the country of the wicked stevenson-a plan that involves the kidnapping of princess kathleen, the king's only daughter. any mistakes could turn the entire country against the black dragons, whose only goal is to help the people of kirkston survive. battle-ready, the black dragons forge some unusual alliances in order to foil stevenson, reclaim kirkston, and save a crew member from the hangman's rope.