This historical novel is set in the 19th century East Indies. The “Red Rajah” is the chief of Malay pirates who are attacking British, Dutch and American merchant ships. The identity of the Red Rajah is unknown, and all efforts by British naval vessels to wipe out the pirates have failed. A former U.S. naval officer, Claude Peyton, offers to undertake this task, provided the merchant companies are willing to pay him. With the assistance of a friend who is in command of a U.S. Navy frigate, they succeed in defeating the pirates in a fierce sea battle, but the Red Rajah manages to escape. Some years later, Peyton again encounters the Red Rajah.