"Shunted from one miserable foster home to another, David is on probation after a series of brushes with the law -- until a thoughtless escapade that ends in tragedy makes him a fugitive. Narrowly escaping the police, David finds refuge and a hard but satisfying way of life with old Silas, a fisherman in a lonely Newfoundland village... until the fateful night when he and Silas investigate a signal from a mysterious ship and a terrifying encounter threatens his new-found happiness." -- back cover ( )