A forgotten shipyard at the edge of the world. Apocalyptic noise from the black-and-white television. A comet. A controversy. And a cat.1987. Tom Beaumont is a rural boat builder looking for reason in an age of blind panic. Even the remote town of Near Haven, Maine, can't escape the tide of violence following news of a coming, global catastrophe. Doubtful of all but his own future, Tom turns to the sea, hoping to find a meridian separating human fictions from the objective reality beyond.