In the year since the Morning Star sailed away from Nantucket, Patience Goodspeed has navigated a ship and outwitted mutineers, but this time she faces her biggest challenge yet: boarding school!

Now, instead of mathematics and navigation, Patience is forced to study sewing and French. To make matters worse, Fanny Starbuck, the most empty-headed widow in Nantucket, has shown up in Hawaii and seems to be after Papa's hand in marriage! Not if Patience has anything to say about it!