In 1952 off the coast of Nova Scotia, Canada, fierce winds force a small boat into port. The sailor of the boat is the eccentric Captain Charles Johnson, who then takes up residence at the small inn run by a young boy, Jim, and his mother. With each day, Captain Johnson becomes more and more valuable to the family and changes the fortunes of their previously struggling business.

But it soon becomes clear that the stranger living in their midst is more than just a sailor. Who is this man who tells such vivid stories about sailing on a pirate ship? And how can he possibly know so much?