In the autumn of 1898, the Docklands of London are stunned by the arrival of a long overdue clipper ship, the Matilda Briggs, which has apparently drifted into a vacant berth. The only crew member still on board is a young cabin boy and he is in the throes of death, following a mysterious attack. The great consulting detective, Sherlock Holmes, is called to investigate the matter but the case fails to grip his imagination. Instead, he is more interested in the disappearance of a famous archaeologist. A violent confrontation on the waterfront brings this story to a shocking conclusion.