Jack Robson, the 14-year old son of a widowed mother, lives on the English coast in a small village between Plymouth and Yarmouth. He works on one of many small coast-fishing boats called bawleys. Bawleys are normally crewed by two men and a boy. When Jack plays a pivotal role in saving passengers of a grounded sailing ship, he come to the attention of a ship owner, who places him as an apprentice on board one of his ships. In the company of two of his fellow-apprentices he is left behind at Alexandria, in the hands of Egyptian troops who have revolted. Jack is present through the bombardment of Alexandria and the riot and blood-shed that accompanied it.