Dicran is a fishermen like his father and grandfather were before him. He wakes up before the sun rises to drink his tea and then joins the other men and the captain on their boat. As Dicran tests the nets with his friend Ivan, he remembers his father, who repaired these same nets many times. Since his father's death, Dicran never speaks of him to the other fishermen. His father had opposed the Revolution, and the men still hold a grudge against him for this reason. Dicran does not remember his sister's death, although according to his father he had been there when the dock burned and his sister, playing on the edge, at first unaware of the flames, refused to jump into the water below. Dicran's mother had died years before this incident, so the man is now completely alone and even isolates himself from his peers, always refusing to join them for drinking after their day's work. Dicran studies the wind, coming from the Red Sea, and concludes that the weather will be poor for fishing and that they will not be as successful as they hap hoped. He then spots a school of dolphins, however, near the boat, about thirty in total, and wonders if he was wrong. Dolphins mean good luck and fair weather, so the fishing may be good today after all. Then, the Captain gathers the men and proposes that they abandon their usual path for fishing and follow where the dolphins are leading them. The Captain reminds them that dolphins have led men out of danger or to people out at sea in need of rescue. The men cheer in response to the Captain's plan, but Dicran disagrees, muttering to Ivan that they need to stick to their plan or they won't make their quota. Ivan only laughs at his friend, however, excited like the rest of the men to see where the dolphins lead them. The fishermen follow the dolphins in their boat and are led to a buoy some ways away. Through his binoculars, Dicran sees a dolphin calf tangled in a net that has gotten caught onto the buoy. Dicran and Ivan quickly set off in a row boat toward the calf, with the Captain following in his own boat close behind them. Dicran lowers himself into the water and swims toward the buoy. The water is choppy, making it hard to swim, and the cold makes his legs go completely numb. Dicran tries to untangle the net, but his freezing hands struggle against the strong rope. The Captain shouts at him to use his knife, but Dicran refuses, not wanting to ruin a good net. As he continues to struggle, Dicran looks down and sees that his legs are bleeding. He sees the young dolphin caught in the net and worries that it will not stay alive much longer. Finally, Dicran follows the advise of the Captain and uses his knife to free the animal. The dolphins, now joined by the calf and squealing in happiness, continue to lead the fishermen after Ivan, Dicran, and the Captain have returned to their boat. Soon, the dolphins rise onto their tails, as if signaling something. Ivan smiles at Dicran, and the men realize that the dolphins have led them back to their path, to the same spot where they first saw them. Dicran then accepts the flask of brandy from his peers and agrees to go drinking with them that night.