David Roberts is a cashed-up escapee from the world of big business and dot-com fortunes who settles into a peaceful coastal environment in New South Wales, Australia, and waits for something to turn up. Something does. An encounter with a trapped whale sets him on a path which will lead to his first real defense of ocean life. He decides to go hunting those who before had been the hunters, and to take some direct and affirmative action in an attempt to convince them to seek alternative employment. He receives little sympathy and no assistance from politicians or government resources, so is compelled to carry out his special project in secret, using his own expertise and funding. His escapades finally focus some unwanted attention on his group and he needs to do some defending of his own, both on shore and at sea. A climactic battle in the South Atlantic is followed closely by an all-out attack on his base by a force of mercenaries, but all ends well and even the politicians are satisfied with the result.