Summary

Chapter I – Declan O’Donnell sails his small boat, a trawler called the Plover, last registered in Depoe Bay, Oregon, out west into the Pacific Ocean. He has no end destination. His only company is a herring gull. Declan lightheartedly wonders what on earth the bird could be doing on the voyage and explains to the bird that they are an island and will be living a simple life. He explains to the bird that he has renamed his ship “The Plover” because the Pacific Golden Plover is a wandering bird, overlooked and slight but strong and capable of traveling large distances. The Plover has a long history including a small wreck, time being used as a whalewatching boat, and an owner who presumably faked his death.

The boat carries two-hundred gallons of extra fuel and assorted supplies, including one-hundred pounds of...