In peril on the sea

The narrative follows Norah, who, after landing from a destroyer with her companion Netta, becomes anxious about her cousin Patrick, who has been placed on a depot ship while she and Netta are taken to an island hut overseen by Mrs. Shaw. The plot revolves around a hazardous maritime incident and the characters' efforts to learn one another's fates, while the author punctuates the story with humorous, observational sketches of naval life, candid preface reflections on the challenges of writing sea fiction, and anecdotal portraits of routine, custom, and comportment aboard and ashore.