What would it have been like to come from a prominent, honorable family, experience the murder of your father, become an impoverished orphan, and rise again because of your father's gift of teaching you to read and write and understand numbers? What if, during your life, you became acquainted with luminaries of your age and discovered the location of a fabulous pirate treasure? What if it all took place in the early 18th century in Rhode Island and New England? These are The Chronicles of Benjamin Prescott. Benjamin Prescott runs from the scene of his father's murder at the hands of his uncle and arrives in the colonial capital of Newport. He assumes a new identity in fear that his uncle will hunt him down as the only witness to his crime. As Thomas Gray, he is befriended by a group of street orphans known as the Dock Rats, who survive by carrying messages for the businesses and colonial offices of Newport. When it is discovered by his friends that Tom can read and write, he agrees yo teach them using the only book he possesses: the King James Bible given to him by his father with the admonishment to never let it out of his possession. Tom warns his fellow Dock Rats to keep their ability to read and write secret. It is because they are thought unable to read that people trust them to deliver their messages. Tom is introduced to a well-known tavern, The White Horse Inn, by a fellow Dock Rat who becomes his best friend for the rest of his life.

Because of the owner's kindness, Tom prospers and, as Newport grows in importance, so does the circle of acquaintances who learn of Thomas Gray's talents in reading, writing, and mathematics. He becomes the minute's secretary for the Town Council and is engaged as secretary to a famous philosopher who comes to Newport. This person becomes his early benefactor, and he will be rewarded for his kindness as a direct result of Tom's actions. Tom becomes an integral part of the White Horse Tavern family and when the husband of the owner dies, he pledges to care for his widow. Tom has always been curious about what his father said when he returned from the sea about his Bible: "This is where your fortune be. Mind you! Ye must look within it carefully to find the way." Tom discovers the clues to the mystery within the Bible. The discovery of an incredible pirate treasure leads to the adventure of his life, and enables him to continue his education, gain success and prominence within the community of Newport, and empowers him to take revenge upon his uncle and gain his rightful inheritance.