Samuel Dover is distressed at becoming separated from his wife of twenty-seven years, but he's determined to follow a dream. He plans to sail around the world and purchases an antique sailing ketch that appears to come directly from the past. Sam restores the vessel to its original condition allots her the name Dark Trader. Sam isn't deterred when he learns the ship has had a dark and troubled history-the boat abandoned and the crew disappeared on two occasions. He hires Mike, a former bar bouncer, as his mate and they set sail from Annapolis, Maryland, for Marquesas, following the course of the original Dark Trader. Upon landing in Nuka Hiva, the Land of Men, Captain Sam and Mike discover a land of the past; they're in the 1800s where mysticism and warriors rule. Sam falls in love with the native Kaitu, who has haunted his dreams from his first moments on the schooner. He will do anything to be with her. As Sam and Kaitu try to change their destinies, fate intervenes. Meanwhile, Mike realizes his happiness lies in the past. He must decide if he can leave the present to reclaim his true love.