In 1765, eminent botanist Philibert Commerson was appointed official naturalist to a grand new expedition: The first French circumnavigation of the world. Desperate not to be left behind, Jeanne Baret - Commerson's young mistress and collaborator - disguised herself as a teenage boy and signed on as his assistant. Amid deceit and deception she travelled the world, surviving for two years on a boat with over 100 men. When she next set foot on French soil, she had become the first woman to sail around the globe. Yet very little is known about this extraordinary woman - until now. Taken from accounts of Baret's crewmates and Baret's own recently discovered notebook, the author has unravelled this amazing true story.