Marco, a young boy from Jamaica, has come to Maine. In Jamaica, he had family and friends, but in Maine, he is very alone. Marco becomes friends with Jacob, a lobster fisherman who teachers him how to run his boat. Marco takes the ferry to school on the mainland. Some children harass Marco, but Flanders, an older boy, defends him. One day Marco discovers Jake is missing. He borrows Flanders's boat and uses his new skills to find him in a winter storm...