Humphrey Van Weyden, a San Francisco sophisticate and an intellectual finds himself the captive voyager aboard the Ghost, captained by the brutal and barbaric Wolf Larsen. The desperate character of Van Weyden's voyage is defined by the fact that he is out of his element, in unimaginable peril, and the slave of this cynical and wild soul, Larsen. The rights of man vanish as the coast of California vanishes over the horizon.

Almost immediately, the slave plots his freedom - and must confront the weakness in his soul, mind and body. Generations have been spellbound by this harrowing story of danger on the sea, psychological confrontation, and the dual nature of humankind.