When customs and excise men arrive at the village of Dymchurch in Kent, they uncover an intricate smuggling network being coordinated by the local parson, Dr Syn. Unknown to all but a few locals Dr Syn also hides a secret past, that he was once the notorious pirate Captain Clegg.

Clegg is a ruthless pirate, who once mutilated a man, then left him in the wilderness to starve for ravishing Clegg's wife. Twenty years later, Clegg is know as Doctor Syn, a priest and the pillar of a small coastal village that he oversees. Syn still heads his old gang of pirates, now working as smugglers, but they now use their ill-gotten gains for the betterment of their coastal community.