Newfoundland-born Charlie Wilcox wants only one thing in life: to go to sea, like his father, Captain Sam Wilcox. But never a strong lad to begin with and born with a club foot, Charlie seems destined for other, quieter pursuits - at least, that's what his parents think. Determined to prove them wrong, Charlie stows away on what he thinks is a fishing vessel, emerging days later to find himself far out to sea, bound not for the ice, but for France and the battlefields of World War One.

An exciting adventure story that is both heart-stopping and heartbreaking, Charlie Wilcox has quickly become a modern classic.