A young civil war soldier comes home to find the world has changed and is unappreciative of his efforts. His girlfriend married a rich man in his absence, and, as a whaler, his main occupation eliminated with the discover of petroleum.

Is it just me, or do many of the characters sound much much older than they are supposed to be. The main character, Noah (an intentional allusion, I'm sure, to the guy with the Ark from waaaaay back), is supposed to be 25 in the story, but sounds like a haggerd wizzened old geriatric seadog.

Not one of the best stories. Unconvincing character development, loosely strung together sequence of events that we are led to believe lead to Noah's epiphany regarding the sanctity of life and the goodness of mankind.