Herman Melville (Ben Whishaw) is at the doorstep of an ex-sailor Thomas Nickerson (Brendan Gleeson) looking for the story of the Essex, a whaling ship in which Nickerson was a cabin boy (young Nickerson played by Tom Holland). The Essex was captained by a relatively incompetent George Pollard (Benjamin Walker), and though his first mate was a seasoned sailor Owen Chase (Chris Hemsworth), the two didn't see eye to eye. Chase was both covetous and deserving of the captaincy, but Pollard beat him to the post by being born with a silver spoon.