Edmund Talbot is on his way to Australia to take up a government post, secured for him by his rich and influential Godfather. He is young, witty, naive and all set for adventure and bravery in the face of whatever a long sea voyage might throw at him. However, his immaturity, vanity and haughtily cocksure perception of the world make him ripe for emotional and intellectual lessons.

Tensions grow within the close confines of the ship. The safety of the increasingly dilapidated hulk is by no means assured and the situation is worsened when the foremast is damaged.

Edmund is obsessed by his memories of the beautiful Marion. He agrees to be a witness at the wedding of Prettiman and Miss Granham with whom he has established a friendship. Having despised Prettiman previously for his radical opinions, he now finds himself being converted to a more liberal understanding of the world.