Columbus sets sail as the chief sailor on a cargo vessel en route from Genoa to Lisbon transporting precious loads of contents. Having passed the Straits of Gibraltar, the fleet then encounters pirates off the coast of Saint Vincent's Cape. The Genoese crew tries to escape from the pirates, but to no avail; they are soundly defeated, and their ship is sunk. Shipwrecked, Columbus finds himself at the mercy of the waves.