An Australian yarn of a man who fooled himself. A young ship's apprentice loses his indentures by missing his ship because of drunkenness and, demoted to common seaman, is taken on the windjammer Laconda for a voyage from Melbourne to Boston around the Horn. He tries to bolster his self-conceit by building a reputation for toughness and assumes responsibility for the murder of the brutal first mate, Bates. His shipmates' awe is gratifying - until this deception rebounds.