After being fished out of the sea by a sailing ship, three fugitives find themselves prisoners of the ship's brutal skipper who refuses to put them ashore, and they hatch an escape plan during a crew mutiny.

1900. Each coming into the situation under different circumstances, George Leach, Ruth Brewster, both who are trying to evade capture by the authorities, and writer Humphrey Van Weyden, from a refined background, somewhat reluctantly are on their first of the latest sailing of the Ghost, a sealing schooner, out of its home port of San Francisco. The Ghost is skippered with an iron fist by "Wolf" Larsen, who will not tolerate any question of his authority, and whose cruelty has turned his crew into a hardened lot. In that cruelty, he will often turn his adversaries against each other to his own end of that total control. While all three would like to get off, George and Ruth someplace other than San Francisco, they are being held somewhat captive by Wolf both in not interacting with any other ships and not making land until its ultimate return to San Francisco. Humphrey can see and discovers that Wolf is a mass of contradictions as the Ghost's true nature, which has to do with Wolf's similarly seafaring brother, remains hidden from most. Meanwhile, George does whatever he can to get off board safely with Ruth, especially as they have fallen in love partly in their fugitive status, and even if it requires trying to organize a mutiny under the condition of not knowing who to trust. Through the machinations of each trying to achieve their goal, Wolf may display to who it matters the most his working under the ultimate creed of preferring to "reign in hell than serve in heaven".—Huggo

In 1900, in San Francisco, a man named Svenson is recruiting sailors for the notorious "Ghost", a seal-hunting ship owned by Captain "Wolf" Larsen. The sailors of the "Ghost" are outlaws and Larsen is a tyrannical, sadistic and cruel man that abuses of his crew to keep them under control. While leaving San Francisco in a foggy night, the ship hits a ferry boat and rescues the passengers Ruth Brewster and Humphrey Van Weyden, who have survived the collision. Larsen refuses to return to the port, and Van Weyden, who is a cult writer, is assigned to work in the kitchen with the obnoxious Cooky, who is a treacherous thief. Ruth, who is a fugitive from the justice, is dying and the alcoholic Dr. Prescott says that she will die since she needs a blood transfusion. Larsen forces the also fugitive George Leach to donate his blood without any test blood and Dr. Prescott saves Ruth's life since his blood was compatible to hers. While recovering, Ruth is delirious and says that she is not a lady, but a fugitive, and Cooky overhears. Along the journey, Larsen humiliates Ruth, who is protected by Leach, and Dr. Prescott, who reveals secrets about Larsen to the crew and before committing suicide. There is a mutiny but Larsen keeps his resilience and evilness, expecting that Van Weyden writes his biography.—Claudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Humphrey van Weyden, a writer, and fugitives Ruth Webster and George Leach have been given refuge aboard the sealer "Ghost," captained by the cruel Wolf Larsen. The crew mutinies against Larsen's many crimes, and though van Weyden, Ruth, and George try to escape Larsen's clutches, they find themselves drawn inexorably back to him as the "Ghost" sails toward disaster.—Jim Beaver <[email protected]>

An odd group of people find themselves aboard the Ghost, a sailing schooner captained by the hard taskmaster, Wolf Larson. George Leach is the on the run from the police as is Ruth Webster who has escaped from a women's penitentiary. Also aboard is a young writer, Humphrey van Weyden. He and Webster were fished out of the sea and Larson refuses to put them ashore. Larson is a cruel brute who will have his sailors beaten for the smallest infraction. The three try to escape but without success.—garykmcd