In this, the most maritime of Montalbano's investigations, listeners will be struck by the change in the commissioner.

One night, Inspector Montalbano dreams of a stormy sea, which he knows represents unease and loss of control. The next day, a boat is found in the port of Vigàta and, within it, the body of a disfigured corpse. The waterfront has also drawn in an eighty-five-foot luxury boat passengered by fifty carefree souls and a somewhat shadowy crew. They will have to stay in Vigàta until the investigation is over: the man, it seems, was poisoned. However, right now, it is the yacht's owner and sailors Montalbano is focused on.

Montalbano must navigate the murky waters of his relationship with Livia while trying to find which seafaring suspect is the real murderer.