The year is 1680, and more than 300 daring, hardened pirates gather on a remote Caribbean island. The plan: to wreak havoc on the Pacific coastline, seizing Spanish gold and the chance to become legends. As Keith Thomson recounts, the company crosses Panama on foot, slashing its way through the dense jungles of the Darien Isthmus, liberating a native princess along the way. Winning incredible battles and plundering the Spanish Main, the buccaneers will prevail for two years, but then meet their downfall.