Ignoring his father's warning, Jim Scoresby rides out Hurricane Katrina in his grandfather's house in New Orleans. Soon rising waters strand Jim and his aging friend, Freddy Beasley. As they wait for rescue, Jim wishes his own father would believe in him the way Freddy does. A fierce argument followed by a gut-wrenching discovery send Jim north to rebuild his life and to prove his father wrong. From New Hampshire, to Boston's historic neighborhoods, to Maine and Cape Cod, Jim throws himself into New England life, while learning to appreciate the New Orleans culture he left behind. After his charismatic boss, Commodore Walter Henretty, introduces Jim to his beautiful but spoiled daughter, Jim's life-and his heart-seem to be on the mend. As their friendship deepens, Walter imparts much-needed wisdom, yet Jim is haunted by memories of Katrina and by another storm, the one raging within him. While on several sailing expeditions with the Commodore, Jim discovers an unpleasant truth about himself: a newfound fear of open waters. When the seas turn rougher than expected, it is only through relying on his own courage that Jim learns the most valuable lesson of his life.