Quoyle’s (Kevin Spacey) life is in shambles. Both of his parents committed suicide, his wife ran off with her lover after selling their daughter to a child pornographer and then died in a car crash. After the police return his daughter, he decides to start a new life by returning to his ancestral home in Newfoundland. There, he finds work as a journalist and begins reporting on the ships in the harbor. Slowly but surely, Quoyle adjusts to life in Newfoundland and begins to make friends with the locals. He builds a relationship with Wavey Prouse (Julianne Moore). He learns a lot about himself and his family’s history. Will his life continue to improve, or will it be torn apart in the storm?