Steinbeck's first novel, a historical adventure loosely based on the life of the Welsh buccaneer Henry Morgan. It follows Morgan from a boyhood in the Welsh hills, where he dreams of glory, to his voyage to the Caribbean and his rise as a pirate leader. His ambitions lead him toward the wealthy Spanish city of Panama, called the Cup of Gold, and toward a legendary woman said to be its jewel. The book mixes swashbuckling action with a reflective theme about the gap between dreams and what they bring.