The only good cat is a fed cat. Clarice, a young ship mouse, knows this to be true. She and her brother, Charles Sebastian, were taught to be careful - as all mice are - but caution is no match for the sea, which took their mother, and it is certainly no match for Special Lady, the horrid cat who ate their sister. Now the siblings hide in their pantry crate, knowing every move they make could be their last. When a shocking mutiny forces Clarice onto a small, leaky boat with Special Lady and a dozen hungry sailors with deadly boots, Charles Sebastian is left on the ship to fend off mutineers, a flock of irate chickens, and an inquisitive human prisoner - a mouse’s worst enemy. Being careful may have saved them in the past, but now Clarice and Charles Sebastian will need to grow bold if they are to survive and keep their promise to find one other again.