Code

A small steamer carrying bottled Scotch tries to slip cargo ashore while a Coast Guard cutter watches the twelve-mile limit. A sudden storm forces the steamer to rescue an injured man from a crippled schooner, creating a tense choice between risking interception to obtain urgent medical aid and protecting the contraband cargo. The narrative follows the shipmasters and crew as they navigate violent weather, rescue operations, and conflicting obligations, exploring seafaring codes of duty, the pressure of maritime decision making, and the moral tension between compassion and self-preservation at sea.