Now in his sixties, big-wave surfer Joe Sharkey has passed his prime and is losing his "stoke." The younger surfers around the breaks on the north shore of Oahu still idolize the Shark, but in this novel by the author of The Mosquito Coast, his sponsors are looking elsewhere. One night, Joe accidentally kills a stranger near Waimea, a tragedy that sends his life out of control. As the repercussions of the accident spiral ever wider, Joe's devoted girlfriend Olive throws herself into uncovering the dead man's identity and helping Joe find vitality and refuge in the waves again.