Synopsis: Powder Quay (Historical Cycle) The hero of both "Steam on the Line" and "Devil's Nob", Taffy Hughes, has a smaller part to play in this story of the opening year of the First World War. Yet, in the face of his double personal tragedy, he forces himself on to make his contribution to the country's efforts. Young Midshipman Richard Bridgebolton has an even more demanding ordeal to go through, involving survival in an open boat with injured men and a sketchy notion of which direction to go in. Sustained by the thoughts of lovely Emma, he rallies all his resources in an effort to prove himself worthy of the family name