The secret treasure of Piet Hein

Amsterdam, 1641. Fourteen-year-old Mees wants only one thing: to stay with his younger sister and protect her. But as an orphan boy, he has no say. He is brutally forced aboard a WIC (Dutch West India Company) ship, on a one-way voyage across the ocean to the West. Before he leaves, he solemnly promises his sister he will return. The journey begins. His destination is New Amsterdam, a rugged and muddy colony in the New World. Far from home, driven by homesickness, Mees vows to earn enough money to buy his sister's freedom from the orphanage. But life in the colony is harsh and dangerous, and honest work barely pays enough for his own survival. Then, Mees and his friends stumble upon a mysterious trail. A trail that leads straight to the legendary silver fleet of Piet Hein. Is it just drunken sailor talk in the taverns of New Amsterdam? Or true stories from the Dutch sailors who were actually there? If the rumors are true, part of that priceless treasure lies hidden on an island near New Amsterdam. This is Mees's only chance to keep his promise. But the sea knows no mercy, and they are not the only ones hunting for the silver.