The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle

The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle Summary | Plot Summary

Charlotte Doyle is on the docks of Liverpool, England to return home to her family in America. Mr. Grummage has been hired by Charlotte's father to see that Charlotte boards Captain Jaggery's ship the Seahawk safety and on time. Mr. Grummage learns that the other passengers on the Seahawk are no longer coming, making Charlotte the only non-crewmember aboard. Grummage refuses to let her take a different ship, insists that he must carry out his order and promptly walks off, leaving Charlotte by herself.

Charlotte is taken to her small living quarters. Mr. Barlow, a crewmember, comes by and tries to convince Charlotte to leave the ship while she has the chance. Charlotte refuses. An old black sailor named Zachariah visits to offer her some tea. Zachariah tries to befriend Charlotte and gives her a knife so that she can protect herself. She unwilling accepts the knife. The next day, Charlotte goes up to the deck and introduces herself to Captain Jaggery. The captain is very polite to Charlotte, and she likes him instantly.

Days later, Charlotte finds Zachariah and tries to give the knife back. He refuses to take it and inform her that Jaggery once beat a man so severely the man lost his arm, and the crew is planning on overthrowing the captain. The two are interrupted by the first mate, Mr. Hollybrass, who invites Charlotte to Jaggery's cabin. Charlotte enjoys her time with Jaggery. The captain gets Charlotte to spy on the crew for him. Charlotte is taken beneath the deck to her trunk, where, alone, Charlotte feels she is being watched. Charlotte becomes more comfortable on the ship. She has tea with Jaggery every day, and at one point Zachariah gives Charlotte sailing clothes, which she refuses to wear.

One day, Charlotte enters the crew's living quarters where she discovers a plan to overthrow the captain. Charlotte runs to inform Jaggery, who quickly goes to confront the crew. One of the men involved in the attempted overthrow is the man who lost his arm to Jaggery. Jaggery shoots and kills this man, and the rebellion is halted. Jaggery has the crewmembers beat Zachariah as punishment for the rebellion. Later, Charlotte sees the crew throw something into the sea that she believes is Zachariah's dead body. She feels responsible for what has happened and alone because the captain and crew want nothing to do with her. She decides to become a member of the crew and puts on the clothes Zachariah made her. In order to join the crew, Charlotte succeeds in climbing to the highest point of the ship. She lives and works like all the other sailors. Jaggery is hard on Charlotte and in return she shows him little respect.

The Seahawk runs into a hurricane. Charlotte must climb the mast to cut away the sails. She almost falls to her death and is surprised to see that Zachariah saves her. Mr. Hollybrass is murdered with the same knife Zachariah gave Charlotte, and Jaggery accuses Charlotte of the crime and puts her in the ship's jail. There she sees Zachariah alive and well and explains what has happened. Jaggery comes to bring her back to the deck where she is put on trial, and based on Jaggery's faulty arguments, she is found guilty. She returns to the jail where Zachariah convinces her that it must have been Jaggery who killed Hollybrass. They come up with a plan to steal the guns from Jaggery and organize the crew for a new rebellion. Charlotte goes to get the guns, but Jaggery is waiting for her. After an argument, Jaggery chases Charlotte around the ship. He slips and falls into the ocean, never to be seen again.

Charlotte is made the new captain, with Zachariah doing most of the work. The Seahawk reaches its destination, and Charlotte is sad that she must leave her friends on the ship. She is reunited with her family. Her relatives are disturbed by or uninterested in stories about her journey. Her father reads Charlotte's journal of her adventures and keeps her in her room until she is restored to the proper way of living. Charlotte, feeling that her family doesn't care for her, runs away from home and joins the crew of the Seahawk as they set sail on a new adventure.