When thirteen-year-old Miles O'Malley discovers a rare deep-sea creature stranded in the mud of the tidal flats of Puget Sound, he finds himself thrown into the limelight, but when he continues discovering rare ocean creatures, some begin to wonder if he is an unlikely prophet.

Growing up on the Puget Sound, the Johannssen family has sailing in their blood, but the oldest brother, Josh, is left puzzling over what caused his siblings to flee, one to Africa, the other to points unknown as a fugitive and pirate. Growing up on the Puget Sound, the Johannssen family has sailing in their blood. But Ruby left for Africa and elsewhere to do good works on land, and Bernard disappeared at sea, a fugitive and pirate. Josh, who repairs...

These three, inter-related stories describe the lives of three generations of the McGowan family and their personal battles to make a living by working on the Boston waterfront. The common thread that runs through them is the challenges presented by the shape-up or pick-up system, a procedure that was archaic and rife with favoritism and was the sole determining factor whether you received a salary that day. At a young age, Jim McGowan goes to work...