Barbery is a fisherman in the Canadian Maritimes who is probably most renowned for his broken down fishing boat, the Nancy J., which he hates. He wants to buy a new boat, but doesn't have the money. Rueben Black, his girlfriend Susan Black's brother, the local undertaker, is willing to give Barbery the money to at least buy a new motor for the boat if Barbery agrees to marry Susan. Barbery, on the other hand, doesn't want to marry Susan until he has a new fishing boat. When Rueben finally agrees to buy a new motor for the Nancy J., Barbery has other ideas to work toward getting the boat he really wants. Caught in the middle through the negotiations is Susan, who may finally have had enough. But other factors may ultimately come into play in whether Barbery and Susan get married, and whether Barbery gets his new boat.