Auckland Island is a godforsaken place, to be shipwrecked there means almost certain death. In 1864 Captain Thomas Musgrave and his crew of four aboard the schooner Grafton wreck on the southern end of the island. Captain Musgrave—rather than succumb to this dismal fate—inspires his men to take action. Under his leadership, they band together and remain civilized through terrifying days. Incredibly, at the same time on the opposite end of the island, the Invercauld wrecks during a horrible storm. Unlike Captain Musgrave, the captain of the Invercauld falls apart. His men fight and split up; some die of starvation, others turn to cannibalism. Using the survivors' journals and historical records, award-winning maritime historian Joan Druett brings this extraordinary untold story to life, a story about leadership and the fine line between order and chaos.