The year is 1830. In the small seafaring town of West Barnstable, Massachusetts, young James Jenkins follows the sailor's life. Ruth Fish, the daughter of a ship's captain, bristles with passion to see the world and escape the confines of her small town. Separated for years at a time from home and family, James binds himself to them through letters that span the vastness of oceans and time. Torn between the competing desires of her heart, Ruth imagines a life on the sea, going as far as any man might go.