On November 20, 1820, a mammoth 85-foot whale viciously and repeatedly rams the whaling ship Essex, sinking it, in a gripping true story that inspired the classic Herman Melville novel. The recovery of a notebook written by the Essex's cabin boy Thomas Nickerson provides a first-hand account of the amazing escape of the fortunate few sailors and their struggle for survival, trapped in pummeled boats for 90 storm-tossed days.