Commissioned inas an oyster dredger, the skipjack Charlotte B, has struggled to survive for more than a century, She has lived through oyster wars and violent storms that have claimed her sister ships, Pollution and parasites have decimated her quarry, sabotaging her livelihood, She has been impounded as a rum runner, and abandoned in the marshes to rot, Always, she has been rescued, rebuilt, and restored to her rightful place as the reigning queen of a dwindling fleet, But now she is again on the auction block for sale or salvage, A prominent Boston lawyer, in need of a fresh challenge, becomes captivated by the Charlotte and intrigued by the problems facing the Bay, The combination will plunge him into dangerous undercurrents, changing his life forever, .