Napoleon Bonaparte seized power in 1799, installing himself as First Consul of Revolutionary France. One of his first acts was to seek peace with Great Britain. After setbacks and tortuous negotiations a preliminary peace was agreed in October 1801, sealed by a definitive treaty at Amiens the following year: an event welcomed by people on both sides of the Channel. But the peace was tragically brief and its rupture in 1803 ignited a conflagration that raged until Napoleon's final defeat at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815.

This is the story of that brief interlude of peace - how it came about, what it allowed, and how it ended. The diplomatic relationship between Britain and France is explored, and the internal politics of the two countries described. A colourful cast of characters promenades through the book, bringing to life a period that, while ostensibly peaceful, had its share of drama.