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This tale of the high seas -- based on the novel by Ben Ames Williams -- is as much character study as it is adventure. It involves the rivalry between the two Shore brothers, Mark (Lon Chaney) and Joel (Malcolm McGregor). Mark is the captain of a whaling ship and he looks down on Joel, who has never gone to sea. But when Mark's ship arrives in port sans its captain, Joel takes over the command. His new bride, Priscilla (Billie Dove), insists on coming along and they head for the South Seas, where Mark was last seen. Because he's so green, the crew ridicule Joel, but he eventually proves he is a capable and manly seaman. He finds Mark not far from where he was lost, but after seeing how well his younger brother has done he becomes jealous. He starts a mutiny when Joel refuses to change his course to search for some treasure. But brotherly love wins out when Joel's life is threatened, and Mark sacrifices his own life to save him. This picture was released only a few months before Lon Chaney achieved superstardom with his role as The Hunchback of Notre Dame.