Saeed wants to be a pearl diver like his father, and, as a 6 year old, is invited to accompany him for the summer as an apprentice crew member on a pearling dhow that works the Arabian Gulf. Saeed is initiated into the way of life that was of vital importance to the economy of the region before the discovery of oil. The account of his first summer at sea, interspersed with atmospheric watercolour illustrations, is full of interesting detail about work processes, belief systems, and the beauties and dangers of the sea.