Young Julia Lloyd has a gripping fear of sunken ships coming back to life, rising up beneath her when she swims in Long Island Sound. Drawn to tragedies at sea which both haunt and fascinate her, she becomes a church organist, hoping to emulate Captain Nemo as she navigates coming of age. When her father takes a drink after a fifteen-year hiatus, revealing his struggle with alcoholism, her world begins to list. Accompanied by a cast of droll, often outrageous characters, Julia embarks on a series of cross country maneuvers through late 20th century pop culture as a musician on a quest to salvage her self-esteem and disrupt her attraction to destructive, alcoholic lovers.