As the book opens we meet an orphan boy who is mute and who suddenly finds himself onboard a ship called the "Flying Dutchmen." After weeks at sea, Vanderdecken(the captain) is furious that he cannot make his ship go around the tip of the world, Tierra del Fuego. When the third attempt fails, Vanderdecken seals the fate of all by cursing God. His cursing brought an angel of the Lord down and in turn cursed them to never die and to sail the seas forever. The young boy(named Ben) and his dog(Den) find themselves not under this curse due to their pure hearts. They are given the gift of eternal youth and to be able to speak to one another.
They live at Tierra del Fuego for a couple of years before the angel tells them that it is time to move on at the sound of a bell.
Nearly 200 years go by and our heroes are to be found in a small town in England called Chapelvale. They team up with some of the locals to prevent the town from becoming a limestone quarry and cement factory. They do this by finding the documents which prove one of the locals that they do have ownership of the town. After all is said and done, our two heroes stay around until the angel tells them once again to move on at the sound a bell.
