When Milt Kovak wins a seven-day cruise for four to Puerto Rico, he takes his family – wife Jean and son, Johnny Mac, plus Johnny Mac’s best friend, Early Rollins.

It’s spring break and the ship is running over with children – and they really are running – everywhere. It’s complete chaos, but things are about to get even worse when Johnny Mac and Early are caught stealing. By the time the boys confess to who put them up to it, a boy named Joshua (a.k.a. the Artful Dodger), Joshua’s body is found dead on the top deck.

There’s plenty of blame to go around, but with two full days of sailing ahead of them, Milt and Jean team up with the ship’s security officer to try to find the killer, before they strike again . . .