A ship sinks at the high seas. 3 sailors and a cabin boy survive in a lifeboat. There is no land in sight and the men are exhausted. To stay alive the sailors kill and eat the cabin boy against his will. Days later the lifeboat is found and brought to land. The sailors survive thanks to reinforcement brought by eating the cabin boy. The authorities hear of the tale and the sailors are brought before a court where the jury will give a verdict.