Many young men head to the sea for the freedom it offers. A well-off nineteen-year-old takes his first voyage and is christened Redburn. From there, a second quest lands him and his beloved Toby in a Polynesian paradise. However, things take a turn, and further adventures in Polynesia leave Redburn, now in his mid-twenties, unable to achieve his goals. He goes home on a naval vessel and nearly loses the last shreds of his humanity. At home in New...