Ellida was the daughter of a lighthouse keeper, and spent many hours near the water's edge. While she was still scarcely more than a child, one of these ships put in for repairs at a fishing village near the lighthouse, and its second officer, while on a day's outing to kill time, visited the lighthouse. He there met Ellida, whose youth and beauty he admired. While his ship was still undergoing repairs, the second officer quarreled with his captain, and a fight ensued in which the captain was killed. The guilty man escaped from the ship, and making his way to the lighthouse, forced Ellida to assist in his flight.