The book is about a group of students from around the world who are invited to attend The School Ship Endeavour for their secondary education, which is based on an old aircraft carrier which has been decommissioned and purchased by a philanthropist. The story evolves around one young lad and his seven classmates and their interactions with those around them. Besides the usual education material they are encouraged with learning languages as well as outdoor education material and activities. In book one they also visit foreign ports which include Cape Town, South Africa; Fremantle, Western Australia; Christcurch, New Zealand; Solomon Islands; Sydney, Australia, then return to Southampton via Panama City and the Canal
Aboard ship there are other activities to occupy the students which some of the ship's crew help to pass on crafts as well as traditions of the sea. Also a new unique sport has been devised for the ship which is hover hockey which utilizes World War II technologies of "Gauzing Ships" to counter magnetic mines. This allows the hockey puck to be repelled by the flight deck and so levitate whilst in play. It also controls the distance it can go from the ship's deck.
The high drama of the story is set in the Solomon Islands where our main eight students end up on the run from some local terrorists from adjacent islands and end up finding old Japanese caves with weapons and ammunition and more bizarre things are found.