When word comes that father's ship may have gone down, Aunt Alice sends eleven-year old Digory Beale off to find out if father is still alive and instructs him that if his father is indeed deceased, Digory is to just keep on going. She can't feed and house him any longer. Burdened with a dream of a ship in distress, Digory sets out on the road and soon meets up with the dangers of England in 1703, press gangs and con artists. Eventually, he will cast his lot in with Squire Henry Winstanley, an inventor of whimsical and practical machines. Digory and his brother, Cubby, will become almost family for Winstanley and their lives will be profoundly touched by his dedication to saving the lives of the mariners along the coastline. An enormous storm is coming and the Eddystone Lighthouse is in danger of going dark. Lives will be lost. A thoughtful book that may stir the imagination and creativity of young minds who find it.