The book is about growing up in a fishing community on the southern east coast of India. The story is told through a series of stunning black and white photographs taken by Raghavendra Rao over the years. It records the relationship between the children and the sea. Along most of India's 7517 km coastline, beginning with Gujarat on the west and ending in Bengal on the east, fishing is still done mainly in traditional vessels. The craft used in Suresh's village and in many villages around is the kattumaram (kattu = to tie, maram = logs of wood), believed to be at least 3000 years old and perhaps the oldest seafaring vessel still in active use. The narrative is sometimes personal, sometimes documentary, answering several questions about the fisherfolks' lives, fishing techniques and depleting marine resources. Through an exploration of these answers, children living in other environments get a feel of what coastal life is like.