Exchanging vows of love with sailor Frank Aldersley the night before his departure, Clara Burnham is haunted by the memory of Richard Wardour and his misguided belief that they will one day marry. On different ships, the two men have no cause to meet--"until disaster strikes, any they find themselves united by their battle for survival. When they learn of their rivalry, there follows an act of pure selflessness, making "The Frozen Deep one of Collins' most moving and tragic works. The author of "The Moonstone, The Woman in White, and Who Killed Zebedee?, Wilkie Collins (1824-89) is widely regarded as the originator of the English detective novel.