The story is set in 1952 in the fictional community of Grey Rocks, Nova Scotia. where Jim (Gage Munroe), a 12-year-old boy, faces bullying at school. His widowed mother (Carrie-Anne Moss) runs a local inn, which is facing a takeover by a wealthy family. Sea captain Charles Johnson (Donald Sutherland) appears to assist Jim and his mother through their struggles. However, Johnson appears to be a pirate who supposedly died two centuries ago.<ref name=CBC1 />