Sebastian Junger

In September 1991, the swordfishing boat Andrea Gail returns to home port in Gloucester, Massachusetts with a poor catch. Desperate for money, the captain convinces his reluctant crew to join him for one more fishing expedition. They head out past their usual fishing grounds, leaving a developing thunderstorm behind them. They find great success at the Flemish Cap, but when their ice machine breaks, the only way to preserve their catch is to hurry back home. However, between the Andrea Gail and Gloucester is a confluence of two powerful weather fronts and a hurricane. The crew struggles to sail through pounding waves and shrieking winds, while friends and family worry and wait for a ship that never comes home.

Stewie is blamed for urinating all over the house; however, it is actually Brian who is responsible; after urinating on the carpet once more overnight, Stewie is blamed. The next morning, Peter decides to potty train Stewie, with little success. When the family goes to the local supermarket to buy groceries, Brian urinates in the checkout line, revealing to the family that Stewie is innocent. The family attempts to counsel Brian with therapy, where Brian's psychiatrist Dr. Kaplan believes that he is having a mid-life crisis. Brain attempts to entertain himself by exploring the world, but upon returning home, Stewie gets revenge on Brian and frames him by urinating all over the living room. Brian is falsely accused and the family return him to Dr. Kaplan to find the true cause. After revealing that his most recent accident happened after watching Lois and Peter engaging in a water fight on the car, Dr. Kaplan informs Brian that he is most likely in love with Lois. After discussing the situation, both agree to remain friends. Afterwards, Brian decides to live life to the fullest by golfing with Peter on the local golf course.

The book is about the 1991 Halloween Nor'easter that hit North America in October 1991, and features the crew of the fishing boat Andrea Gail, based out of Gloucester, Massachusetts, who were lost 575 miles at sea during the severe conditions while fishing for swordfish. Also in the book is the story about the rescue of the three-person crew of the sailboat Satori in the Atlantic waters during the storm, by the US Coast Guard Cutter Tamaroa.