The idea of being a fugitive when your means of transport can only move at walking pace is somewhat ludicrous, as is living on a boat that is, in size, little more than a large packing case. That and the self proclaimed stowaway was about to make the rest of the year very different as, armed with nothing more dangerous than a windlass and a box of Soviet made watches, the crew of the Mayfly set about doing their bit in preserving the inland waterway network before it was too late. In their travels they meet a number of unlikely allies, discover skills they didn't think they had, and, as the job of fugitive requires, are chased by some decidedly undesirable people.