Ship of the Dead

During shore leave in Antwerp, US sailor Philip Gale misses his ship and is robbed by the girl he spent the night with. All his money is gone, but worse still, she also takes his seaman's book. He soon realizes that without papers, he is nobody. The initially arrogant young man learns that no ship will take him on board without papers. In Rotterdam, he tries to obtain new papers through the American consulate. However, as this is a lengthy process and he believes it will be easier to find a job in the south without papers, he sets off for Marseille. On the way, he meets the beautiful Mylene, whom he will think back on with longing during his subsequent adventure. Gale is initially unable to find work in Marseille. When he is finally approached by a disheveled sailor, he is skeptical at first. But when the captain explains that they have suffered a shipwreck and the ship is heading for Boston, his home, where he hopes to finally get new papers issued, he finally agrees. On board, he immediately realizes that something is wrong on this rotten tub. The work is hard, the accommodation and food are poor, and the captain is up to something.