In a 19th century fishing harbor, the captain of the Komquot is obsessed with catching the great white whale Dicky Moe. His obsession unnerves his crew so badly that they all desert the ship. Shortly afterward, the captain finds Tom searching for food in the harbor, knocks him out, and takes him aboard. Tom believes at first that he is going on a cruise, but the captain soon puts him to work scrubbing the deck.
This short film is the first film adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien's 1937 novel, The Hobbit. The film is a considered an "ashcan copy" as it was made quickly and cheaply by the producer to keep the rights to to the material.