Here is the story of how Stella Madison becomes committed (in more ways than one) to a rag-tag group of misfits who decide to pool their resources and make a run for an abandoned lodge in Alaska. A place where it is rumored that seniors do not have to pay taxes and it is possible to survive completely off the land, even if they have no income at all. At the very least, they might fare better than living in the city, where each has to fend for themselves. Times being what they are.

The only real expense is getting there. However, one of their group is acquainted with an old captain-turned-inventor who lives out in the bay on a monstrosity of a sailboat called the Dreadnaught. And while it hasn't been out of the harbor in years, it does fall within their budget to charter it. That is, if they skip the extra expense of a crew and all sign on as hands. Except Stella has never been out on a boat in her life...