Maxwell Sim seems to have hit rock bottom: separated from his wife and daughter, estranged from his father, and with no one to confide in even with 74 friends on Facebook. He's not even sure whether he's got a job until suddenly a strange business proposition comes his way, involving a long journey to the Shetland Isles - and a voyage into his family's past which throws up some surprising revelations.
A story for our times, Maxwell finds himself at sea in the modern world, surrounded by social networks but unable to relate properly to anyone.