Plot Synopsis

Based on the classic novel by Herman Melville. In 1850 Nantucket, the tiny island is the capital of the American whaling industry, where sailors, traders and harpooners seek their fortunes. Three of them -- Ishmael, Pip and Queequeg -- become crewmembers of the Pequod, and their journey with the charismatic but tyrannical Captain Ahab begins. A veteran whale hunter who lost his leg to the gigantic Moby Dick, Ahab is obsessed with revenge. But his long-suffering wife and crew know little about his plans. Only his first mate, Starbuck, senses the dangers ahead. Ishmael is hypnotized by Ahab and ignores the warnings of Queequeg and Starbuck. But when the crew is crippled by hunger and thirst across the Atlantic, they all see the effects of Ahab's bitterness: he wants Moby Dick at all costs. And when he kills one of the white whale's companions, the apocalyptic struggle between man and animal begins.