Pete and Dave Christos are a father and son detective team from Burlington, Vermont, who gained fame solving a case at nearby Castle College. Now, they're on vacation. Dave and his wife are treating his parents to an anniversary cruise on the Sea Atlantic Acme.
After gambling in the ship's casino, though, Dave's mom seems to have misplaced a pair of expensive earrings. When the jewelry of other passengers goes missing, the ship's captain asks Pete and Dave to investigate, and they uncover a plot that could devastate the cruise industry.
Phillip Santos and Donald Cruz from the Philippines have devised a method, thanks to the discovery of a computer expert, that allows them to get inside the safes of rich passengers. Phillip and Donald have their reasons for breaking the law, but that doesn't mean Pete and Dave can let their crimes go unpunished. What began as a relaxing vacation has now become an oceanic investigation in which the power of deduction battles against the human need for survival-at any cost.
