After the collision of the ferry Martinez with a steamer in San Francisco Bay, the literary critic Humphrey Van Weyden climbs aboard the frigate Ghost, captained by Wolf Larsen. He is prevented from returning to the coast and is forced to be part of the ship's crew, which goes to hunt seals. Very soon Van Weyden discovers a brutal world in that microcosm in which Wolf Larsen rules and dominates. A man dominated by the most brutal animal instincts, which bases his actions on the power of force, for whom the life of a fellow has no value, but nevertheless possesses an intelligence that allows him to philosophize about it and be aware of the lifetime.