Ishmael (Richard Basehart) and his strange hotel-mate Queequeg (Friedrich von Ledebur), sign on as mates on the whaling vessel, the Pequod. They knew the work would be hard, but nothing prepared them for the erratic Captain Ahab (Gregory Peck). Having lost a leg to the mammoth white whale, Moby Dick, Ahab has vowed revenge no matter what the cost. Already spooked by the prophesy of a strange man on the docks that Ahab will die and return and that only one man will survive the voyage, the men set off. Ahab promises a gold coin to the first man to site the white whale. Starbuck (Leo Glenn) is a conservative first mate who cautions Ahab about Moby Dick. After the men have been out to sea for months and killed several whales, Moby Dick is finally sighted. The men see that he already has several harpoons sticking out of his sides from others who have tried to kill him. They have a few skirmishes with Moby Dick. Queequeg has the ship's carpenter build him a coffin, because he's convinced of his own imminent demise. The strange man’s prophecy comes true.