A notorious British pirate captures a treasure ship of the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb. Onboard the ship are Mughal women returning from a pilgrimage to Mecca, including the emperor’s daughter. This attack launches one of the biggest manhunts, and changes the course of history. Who is this pirate and what forces his actions unleash?

Conventional reading of history would have us believe that it was the Battle of Plassey in 1757 that changed the course of India’s history: it marked the beginning of the East India company’s rule in Bengal, progressing to the eventual establishment of British rule in India. But bestselling author Steven Johnson presents a different story in his book, Enemy of All Mankind. He argues that it was not the battle of Plassey that changed the fate of India but the raid by an English pirate on a royal ship that did it.