Literary Novel links Action/Adventure with Metaphysics. Lowell Totem, Distraught with grief of his wife's death, regret and the realization of a wasted life, attempts to hide by taking the cruise he promised his wife. Through Lowell's misguided belief of redemption, he believes he sees a boy riding a whale in the middle of the ocean. After his rescue, the boy becomes a virtual prisoner. All who encounter the boy profit from the boy's gifts and abilities despite the fact that the boy never speaks a word and is diagnosed as retarded. Frozen by guilt and defeat Lowell retreats to drinking to appease his conscience. After brutally attacking the boy, Jake's life is forever changed with a determination to rescue the boy. Humiliated by Jake's resolve and the knowledge that he is responsible for the boy's pending death, Lowell is forced to confront his regrets and join forces with Jake to return the boy to his rightful home-the sea. It is at this time that the boy's true identity and purpose are revealed.