A sea captain who has fallen into disgrace joins the crew of a cargo ship, only to find that the man in command is the one who stole his ship from him, a sadistic brute who also made off with the disgraced captain's wife and daughter. Most of the crew were shanghaied on board and are kept in check by the vicious captain and a first mate who is feared even more. Together with a fellow sailor who has fallen for his daughter, now the property of the brutal captain, the former captain tries to rally the crew to end the reign of terror imposed by the captain and his henchman. The Academy Film Archive, together with Sony Pictures Entertainment, preserved the film in 2007.