The book tells the fascinating, compelling and tragic tale of Napoleon Bonaparte from his defeat at Waterloo, through the period of his abdication in Paris to his capture by the British and, beyond, as he went, reluctantly, into exile. It focuses on the Emperor's time on the Bellerophon and Northumberland, the ships that carried him from France to England and St Helena. Napoleon's residence on St Helena is also explored in detail, using firsthand accounts from the people who saw and accompanied him for the six years of his exile. The book explores the slow decline of a great man into physical and mental disintegration, examining the causes of Napoleon's fatal malaise and his relationship with significant figures like Sir Hudson Lowe and Betsy Balcombe - putting everything into the context of enforced idleness on a distant and barren lump of rock.