Based on his own experiences, London harks back at his teenager years spent aboard various fishing boats in San Francisco Bay during the early 1900s. At the time, the waters contained rich oyster beds, and people of all ages and creeds descended upon them for profit. Jack was one of these oyster pirates, but later had a change of conscience and become a member of the 'Fish Patrol', a group dedicated to enforcing the laws created to protect the waters from illegal fishing and other activities. These seven short stories describe the dangerous and often exciting encounters London had with the pirates of San Francisco Bay.