Plot
On a visit to New Bedford, Massachusetts, college alumnus Charlie pays a visit to his elder half-brother Tom Eldrige, a scallop fisherman. Disillusioned with his systematic life, he asks Tom to take him on his upcoming fishing excursion, which he reluctantly agrees to. Sailing out on Excelsior's boat, the Harmony, Charlie is introduced to the crew – Nunes a.k.a “Nunesy”, family man Costa, and drug-addict Skeemo. Hours into the voyage, Harmony suffers an explosion on rough seas, causing it to sink; the crew narrowly survive.
Upon being rescued the following morning, the five go to a bar to celebrate their ordeal, where Charlie encounters Mabel, a small-time drug dealer. His wealthy father, Gary Sykes, who tracks him down, attempts to convince him against fishing but is bluntly rebuffed. Later, the brothers visit Tom’s employers; there, Tom demands to see the maintenance records for the Harmony, but his egotistical boss accuses him of incompetence. Tom throws his boss against the wall and his boss dares Tom to hit him so that he can press charges. Charlie dissuades Tom from doing so, and the brothers leave.
Later, Tom is approached by his aging father, Ray, who requests him to take his boat, the Finestkind, on a dredging excursion in his place, which Tom reluctantly acquiesces to. Later, at a house party hosted by Costa, Tom informs the others of the assignment; whilst there, Mabel takes Charlie for a drug run, during which he meets her skeptical mother. After the meeting ends poorly, he crashes at Mabel’s apartment, where the two share a passionate night. Waking up late the next day, the two learn that Tom is about to leave without him; in response, Mabel rushes Charlie to the harbor, barely making it to the Finestkind just as it leaves for sea. At sea, Tom decides to take the boat discreetly to fish in Canadian waters in the hopes of securing more lucrative catches. The gambit nearly succeeds, but the boat accidentally ensnares itself in its fishing dredge just as a Canadian aircraft locates them, prematurely ending the excursion.
Returning to port, the Finestkind is seized by U.S. authorities, much to the crew’s dismay. Resolving to tell Ray of the incident, the two learn he is hospitalized with terminal stomach cancer – the actual reason for his handing over the boat. Not wanting his father to die without his beloved boat, Tom approaches his former employers to bail him out on the $100,000 fine that had been conditioned for the boat’s release, but is scornfully rejected. Sympathetic to their plight, Mabel arranges for the crew to participate in a one-time heroin smuggling gig with Weeks, her mother’s partner. Despite the crew’s acceptance, Tom fears being caught but is convinced otherwise.
The crew sail out to the drop spot, where a plane delivers the heroin. Returning to port, the brothers head off alone to meet Weeks, but are cornered by a rival drug team, who make away with the heroin after subduing them. Realizing they are betrayed, Tom accuses Mabel of snitching on them, leading to a fight – which is witnessed by Ray. Consequently, Weeks corners the crew at Costa’s home, having taken Costa’s pregnant wife hostage. He forces them to deliver the heroin by the following morning, promising to kill them should they fail; he reveals that he had assaulted Mabel.
After they leave, the crew helps Costa’s wife, whereupon Tom disappears. Whilst searching for him, Ray corners Charlie, who divulges their quagmire. The next morning, Charlie meets Nunesy, who tells him that Tom had taken a pistol with him to see Skeemo. Realizing Skeemo was the snitch, Charlie races over to his place, arriving just as Tom is about to execute him. Nevertheless, Charlie manages to convince him otherwise, opting to take their chances instead. Elsewhere, Ray appears at Weeks’ meeting point with an offer of $15,000 in exchange for leaving the crew alone. When Weeks refuses and proceeds to mock him, Ray shoots him dead – just as the brothers arrive. Ray explains to an emotionally-moved Tom that he would do anything to save him.
Gary agrees to pay the fine on the boat, realizing he cannot change his son, whilst Mabel prepares to enter college. Finally free, the crew prepare to sail on the Finestkind once more, while an incarcerated, yet happy Ray watches from a distance.
