In Jim Murphy's newest MNIA, Jonathan Dodge runs away from home to escape his father's anger. He joins the crew of a whaling ship headed for Alaska's frozen seas, where he finds danger and adventure.

Jim Murphy once again writes an exciting story of a young boy on the cusp of a great, and sometimes violent, world. Jonathan Dodge has run away from his father's house, fleeing his father's wrathful punishments. He signs on as a "greenhorn," a sailor on an Alaskan whaling ship. On the high seas Jonathan finds more adventure and danger than one boy could have hoped for.