A young girl Sonya and a teenager Danila, at the invitation of a stranger, sail on a ship into the open sea, where they find themselves in a long storm and experience various misadventures during the storm. They do not have time to leave the ship before sunset, fall under the influence of a curse, and are now doomed to wander forever across the ocean. The gypsy sailor Eli, a brave, very talented young man, and the navigator Dirk, a former poet with a broken psyche, who for some unknown reason owns a lot of money, fall in love with Sonya. The cruel old man Willy craves intimacy with Sonya and then wants to kill her. Will she be able to find happiness after all the tragedies that happen to her? There is a mystical connection between Sonya, Danila and the captain, what causes it? Part of the story takes place in the 17th century. The sailboat makes several stops: in Amsterdam, on the Canary Islands, in St. Petersburg and on a desert island. Exciting things are happening there. The heroes of the book face terrible cruelty and endless love. Sonya and Danila need to find a solution to a terrible secret, and the captain must perform a feat to lift the curse. It is incredibly difficult, they are overcome by despair. What awaits them, salvation or a tragic ending?