At the center of one of Cooper's most striking "sea" novels is the life of the captain of the ship "Dawn", full of exciting adventures. Sea brotherhood, battles with pirates, friendship and betrayal, and finally, love that overcomes all obstacles - these are just some of the plot lines this narrative, which on the one hand continues the tradition of D. Defoe's Robinson Crusoe, and on the other, anticipates the artistic quest of G. Melville. The full text of the novel in Russian is published for the first time.