Our hero is the sixteen-year-old Dick Hargrave, son of a farmer near Keyhaven on the Hampshire coast. A good deal of smuggling went on in that area, but the Hargraves, although turning a blind eye if their barns were used by the smugglers for temporary storage, were not involved. The local landlord had been a politician who had been ennobled and who was now a marquis. One of his sons, Lord Reginald (for Lord is the courtesy-title of younger sons of a marquis) was in the Navy. Dick is press-ganged into the navy, and finds himself in the same ship as Lord Reginald, who does all he can to make Dick's life a misery. On one occasion Dick jumps ship and goes back home to visit his family, but is recognised by Lord Reginald.

Before he can be punished there is an engagement with the French in which Dick distinguishes himself, and the Captain agrees to dispense with the flogging he should have received.

The ship is posted to the Far East station but is shipwrecked. Both Dick and Lord Reginald survive the wreck and become "Crusoes", still with a deadly rivalry. But Lord Reginald is an incompetent, and would not have survived, had not Dick rescued him, and brought him back to health. Lord Reginald apologises for his past behaviour. Eventually they get back to England, and the story ends there.

In a preface Kingston explains that he has taken a much earlier novel written by a young lady, and has rewritten it with as much improvement as he can make.