This story follows the life of Kipling F Ashburton, who is a 6th generation Western Australian, whose family have worked on the same cattle station since 1896. The story also follows Joshua Alliston, the son of Commander Trenton Blackthorn, who has commanded a number of large research submarines that patrol the world's oceans. After a family dispute, Joshua goes his own direction, having completed university with a degree in Marine Science, and he goes in search of a former Uni classmate, to convince him to join forces to set up a research project in the Indian Ocean.