Sea adventures and tests by the elements, where sailors and captains face sharks and storms, endure resort illusions and dreams of the sea. The heroes of these stories challenge natural forces, save lives, search for love and lose it, find and lose themselves among the decks, under the ship’s keel, surrounded by seagulls, rocks, and salty wind. This collection includes stories by Tolstoy, Korolenko, Stanyukovich, Serafimovich, Kuprin, Bunin, Zhitkov, Paustovsky, Aitmatov, and other famous Russian writers who invite the reader into a harsh yet captivating, living world of the sea.