Indentured servant Brogan Walsh has concluded that his choices are death or a lifetime of servitude. When Sir Cartwright, his exacting master, takes him aboard a galleon bound through the strait of Messina, he sees a chance for one last adventure before resigning to his fate.

However, the dashing Captain Zechariah made an enemy of Sir Cartwright long ago. Though no one knows the reason for their enmity, it becomes clear that his master has no intention of letting the captain and his crew survive their journey.

When all seems lost, Brogan stumbles across the veil and discovers another world, woven into the fabric of his own. With the aid of the guides of the dead, he discovers that the powers of creation are his to command, and may just be a path to freedom.

Through the Jaws of Messina combines the metaphysical bent of Cloud Atlas and The Man Who Was Thursday with the high seas adventure of Treasure Island and the queer romance of Our Flag Means Death.