In the 1880s, two young men set off from Crete to ride the tide of Greece's worldwide shipping ascendancy. One is racing to his future and one is escaping his past. Their intertwined family saga crosses decades and continents, leading eventually to the north shore of Long Island, where the influence of their heritage on future generations, and on one young boy in particular, plays out.The Sextant is a coming-of-age story which focuses on an adolescent boy, Todd Nikandros, who is caught up in the readjustment period of Post-World War II America. The narrative follows Todd as he tests his family's moral boundaries and discovers the perils of the hero path; he becomes a student of Greek philosophy, by way of his tragically flawed mentors. Ultimately, he finds that their legacy depends on him.