On this ship, there are no women, no black suitcases, and the coffee cups must hang facing inboard. The five- member crew even eats the same meal of ham and raisin pie the first night of every trip. But one night, the crew rescues a mysterious red-haired girl from a leaky rowboat. For ten days, she is good company for the crew. The captain, however, is relieved when they reach port and the woman is put off his boat.
Time passes, with the same rigid routine, until one winter morning when a storm threatens the ship.
As the deck fills with water, the terrified captain sees a vision of the strange red-haired girl, followed by an inexplicable righting of the ship. That night, the captain suggests a change in the dinner menu, indicating a new acceptance of change in general. The vibrant watercolor illustrations provide an engaging realism to this eerie tale. On one level, this intriguing picture book is a ghost story set within the fishing industry. On another level, it could be considered a feminist allegory of societal change.