Leif is the protagonist of the novel. He is a dynamic character, with the entire narrative centering on his coming-of-age journey; by the end of the novel, Leif has undergone significant change. Born a nameless orphan, Leif survives infancy and childhood through the benevolence of the aptly named Grace, a woman living on the docks who cares for him until he is condemned to servitude on the ships. Leif’s early years are marked with physical and emotional pain as he lives in the service of others with no life to call his own. Mistreated and abused, Leif begins to question his will to live; he is pulled from the worst of his thoughts by a fisherman named Old Carl, who recognizes Leif’s humanity. Old Carl begins to invest time in the boy, teaching him skills necessary to survive. However, after a plague of cholera rips through their fishing camp, Leif and another orphan flee northward to escape the disease. Though they both become ill, Leif is the sole survivor. He finds himself alone in a canoe with no other directive but to follow Old Carl’s orders to paddle