The skipper of a large gill-netter, the Goveneck of Ladram, faces an ageing problem among his crew, and must bring in new blood before the more experience deckhands retire.

The Van Dijck, a scallop trawler, seems to have run out of luck, and is constantly referred to as the `rust bucket' of the harbour. The Our Miranda, on the other hand, is one of the Devon area's highest-earning vessels.

War is brewing and the waters are getting rough for Skipper Phil and the Govenek's crew, as the competition with foreign boats for fish heats up.

Andrew McLeod, captain of the Van Dijck, is plunged into despair as half of his crew plan to leave following a run of poor hauls that has driven down wages.

When the Govenek of Ladram is docked in the harbour to undergo a complete refit, the crew are hit hard by the loss of earnings. They head back out to sea in order to start paying the bills.

In the North Sea, off the coast of Scotland, the Ocean Dawn works in tandem with the Courageous III to capture large hauls of fish. The technique of dragging a net between the two vessels is dangerous, making it hard to attract workers.