May 1849 aboard the clipper ship Sally M bound out of New York for San Francisco via the Cape. A fine mist dampens the leathery faces of two men standing on the quarterdeck staring out across the choppy waters. 

Captain Bolan and Mr. McDougal are discussing the use of the Sally M for the gold rushers. Mr. Spelvin is a passenger who has put up the money to charter the clipper and is planning to fiddle his fellow passengers out of their life savings.