Investigative journalists Paige and Max Alper drop everything, leave their jobs behind, and hopscotch from San Francisco to San Diego to New York to Hong Kong to recover a quarter-million-dollar inheritance from her mysterious sea captain uncle.

It all starts when a not-so-scrupulous heir-tracer reveals the existence of the inheritance but not the location, holding out for a 50-50 split. When the Alpers are unable to negotiate with the heir-tracer, or gain the cooperation of Paige’s twin sister, the Alpers take up the paper chase.

The tale is told in parallel stories – the Alpers’ quest and Capt. Jack Boylan’s journal entries about the sea, love, and personal loss that led up to his murder by a Hong Kong-based triad involved in high seas piracy and the white slave trade.

When the past and present converge, the Alpers find more than they bargained for in both danger and financial rewards.