When the narrator boards the ship "Independence" for a summer trip from Charleston to New York City, the days ahead look idyllic. His old college friend Cornelius Wyatt is also aboard, with his wife and two sisters, so it promises to be a sociable journey. However, there is one mysterious addition to the guest list - an oblong box measuring six feet by two-and-a-half feet. The box, which has a noisome odour, is kept in Wyatt's and his wife's room. When the narrator hears nightly outbreaks of wailing and crying from Wyatt's room, he investigates. He is closing in on the terrible truth when a hurricane hits the ship - and Wyatt refuses to leave the box behind. His heartbreaking secret will soon be revealed. This book is ideal reading for fans of 'The Riddle of the Sands' by Erskine Childers.