Lorelei and her cousins have the run of Redbridge Ward, sometimes peeking over the fences to see the yards where airship balloons are made. But the winter winds blow cold in Southampton, pushing the town to the brink of starvation. Even picking through the castoff treasures of Bassett Ward is not enough. But the Imperial Navy always has food, and a chance to see the skies of the world as a cabin rat.

    The Dauntless, flagship of the fleet is a wonderland, her sails flying high above the lifting balloon and far below, brass engines gobbling coal. Lorelei and Bobby explore the ship and many exotic ports, determined to make their new lives last forever by gaining entrance to the exclusive British Imperial Naval Academy. Dodging pirate attacks, the Dauntless engages an enemy warship of the Japanese Empire, trading shots across the sky. 

    When the Dauntless is recalled to London to escort Crown Prince William to a war-ending marriage with the Japanese Princess, Lorelei is excited to spy on the royal household. But as the Dauntless soars to Kyoto, contact between passengers and crew is strictly forbidden. Bobby and Lorelei turn their attention to the sprawling vent system of the Dauntless, only to meet house-boy Tom on the run from his own duties. An illicit friendship is more delicious than any other kind and soon Tom is taught to play the part of a ship’s rat, running messages and climbing through the balloon and up the rigging. They conspire to map the vents of the Dauntless, giving them the key to the ship’s inner workings. A narrow escape after a state dinner leaves their disguises abandoned, and the ship rocked with rumors of assassins and stowaways…