On two remote islands off the coast of Maine, the local lobstermen have fought s
avagely for generations over the fishing rights to the ocean waters between them
. Young Ruth Thomas is born into this feud, the daughter of one of the greediest
lobstermen in Maine. Eighteen years old, as smart as a whip, and irredeemably u
nromantic, Ruth returns home from boarding school determined to throw her educat
ion overboard and join the 'stern-men'.
