Under the Skipper's paternal eye, the boys visit new lands. They make mistakes. They learn to love the sea. They work like a crew. Then, in a quick, perfectly executed, simultaneously harrowing and mesmerizing sequence, the ship sinks in a freak storm.
Some people die.
Chuck, our narrator, sums it all up as the burden of sea captains. White Squall is directed by Ridley Scott, so you may be quite sure it is often very beautiful to look at.