The book begins with Noah Underwood, a young boy living in Florida Keys, having his joyful life turned upside down when his father, Paine, is imprisoned. He learns that his father sunk a gambling boat, the Coral Queen, that was dumping sewage into the marina.
Noah is at conflict as his parents are fighting and he does not know whose side to take. On the one hand, he agrees with his father but also acknowledges his father makes rash decisions. His mother also understands that he is a caring man, but he does not put enough work into their marriage or his role as father to the kids.
To find out the truth, Noah takes matters into his own hands and looks into the Coral Queen which has been cleaned and refloated. However, he finds that they are still dumping sewage into the water. He manages to get a job on the boat to find out more about the operations. When working there, they plant bottles of thick fuchsia gel into the toilets of the boat. When the Coast Guard comes aboard, he sees this as evidence of their pollution of the marina. Noah’s father is set free and his life returns to normal once again.
