The year is 1848. The family of Solomon Ward, a 14-year-old Unkechaug Indian boy from Long Island’s Poospatuck reservation, is heavily in debt. Their only option may be to indenture Solomon to a wealthy white family. But when Solomon hears the story of Absalom Boston, the great Wampanoag whaler who captained his own whaling ship out of Massachusetts, his heart skips a beat. Perhaps a life of servitude is not the only way a boy with brown skin can help his family in 19th-century America. Join Solomon on his journey from Long Island to the distant ports of Rio, Valparaiso, and Honolulu and on to the Arctic Ocean. History, culture, and the natural setting are deeply entwined in this magical tale of adventure aboard a 19th-century whaling vessel.