This novel is based on a true story and real people. In 1888 a ship was wrecked in the Pacific, 1300 miles from the nearest help. The passengers and crew all survived, marooned on the deserted islands of Palmyra Atoll. In a voyage of intrepid heroism, led by the First Mate, five men set out in an open boat to get assistance. Their leader was a quiet man from Scotland; this is the forgotten story of his journey and how he tried to get home.