Tom Rockafellar has a desire to be a sailor, regardless of his parents' concerns and attempts to dissuade him from such a profession. Eventually his parents give in and let him follow his dream, and he goes aboard a trading ship destined for Australia. The story relates many adventures at sea, including near misses with another ship sailing on a collision course for the Lady Violet, a fellow shipman's tales of being left at sea and found again, encountering shipwrecks, whales, and icebergs. Tom makes the return journey back to England safely, is greeted by his father, and continues to relate more stories of life at sea.
