Henry Flight is a young lad growing up in the Royal Navy town of Portsmouth, England during that country's wars with the French and the Spanish. The son of a sailor, he is fascinated by the huge wooden battleships which continually come into the harbour. He dreams of becoming a ship's carpenter and enrolls in the dockyard's apprenticeship program. He survives some initial bullying and after five year's training his dream comes true. He sails into battle and witnesses some of the most horrific scenes one could imagine. Henry's carpentry skills are recognized by senior officers, including Admiral Nelson himself who commissions the young sailor to build his coffin. When Lord Nelson is killed at Trafalgar, Henry is sent back to London to build a carriage used for the admiral's funeral at St. Paul's Cathedral.