It is December 1811, and the political winds of war against Great Britain are swirling through the halls of the nation's capital. The U.S. Navy informs Captain Marin Carpenter they are in the process of commandeering his merchant ship. His mission is to set sail out of Newport, Rhode Island into the dangerous wintry waters of the North Atlantic, delivering medical supplies to an all but deserted Naval Station on the Canadian border. Should he refuse, the Navy will confiscate his ship. As he learns more about the details of the mission, and the government's desire to invade Canada, he begins to believe he may be sailing on a voyage of doom - a sacrificial pawn as a pretense for war.

Save his First Mate, Jude Prince, his crew has refused the undertaking, leaving the Captain with a rag-tag crew of Naval rejects and inexperienced misfits.

In the weeks before he is to sail, he must deal with any number of hometown issues he has spent his life avoiding, not the least of which is, he is falling in love.