God is dead and has fallen into the sea, says the angel Raphael to Anthony Van Horne on his 50th birthday. Van Horne must captain the ship that hauls God`s corpse through the sea to the Arctic, where it will be preserved in shark-free waters at sub-zero temperatures. Along the way, he must deal with a mutinous crew, an assortment of shady hucksters, and constant threats of sabotage.