Nick Darke, who comes from a long line of beachcombers ("wreckers", to use the Cornish term), traces the origins of all the items that he has discovered during one stormy winter while beachcombing along the coast of Cornwall near his home. Some of the objects have come from as far away as Labrador or the Amazon Basin.

In this extraordinary film shot on the rugged North Cornwall coast, director Jane Darke starts recording her husband Nick's life as a fisherman, beachcomber and playwright. Already recovering from a stroke, Nick is then unexpectedly diagnosed with cancer.