Max dreams of adventure. He drops ou of school at 18 to join the navy. He becomes sailor N! 512 and is prometed midshipman thanks to the friendship of a commander. But then his life is upset when the commander's wife turns up. Because of her wild passion for him, his destiny becomes that of the unhappy hero. He is convicted of murder, then saved by the explosion of the ship "Liberté". He joins the Foreign Legion in Africa, risking death and earning honors. When the commander's wife dies, Max is rehabilitated and ends up marrying the gentle Colette who has waited for him.