The ‘Maggie’

Peter MacTaggart overhears Mr. Pusey trying to arrange transport of some personal furniture for his boss, American Calvin B. Marshall, at a Glasgow shipping office. Pusey mistakenly believes MacTaggart works for the company and that the newer vessel docked beside the Maggie is his own. Desperate for £300 to repair the puffer's plates and renew its licence, MacTaggart takes the job.

Marshall learns the truth and travels by aeroplane and hired car to pursue the Maggie and recover the furniture. His stubborn, self-made nature pushes him to close the distance and seize the cargo by whatever means necessary. The pursuit sets the tone for a tense, cat‑and‑mouse voyage shaped by pride and practical necessity.

Pusey is put aboard the Maggie to force the transfer of the furniture. A confrontation follows when he pushes the Laird into the canal, resulting in his arrest for poaching. Marshall realizes he will have to handle the matter personally.

Marshall abandons hesitation and boards the Maggie to hasten the transfer, stepping into a captain's role and altering the ship's dynamics. He faces resistance but also gains leverage as the pursuit continues under his watch. The crew's loyalties and the captain's charisma come into sharper focus.

The Maggie's route and timing are dictated by MacTaggart's plan, tidal variations, fog, and the differing priorities of coastal communities. The crew must constantly adjust to shifting conditions, turning small delays into strategic choices. This constant constraint drives the film's rhythm more than any single incident.

The loyalty of the 'wee boy' Dougie becomes a turning point. When Marshall threatens to buy the boat, Dougie releases a folding table, knocking him unconscious and shifting the balance of power on deck. The moment deepens the bond between captain and crew and foreshadows further near-catastrophic decisions.

MacTaggart cleverly moors the puffer under a wooden jetty to gain time and position. As the tide rises, the jetty is damaged, preventing the furniture transfer to the deeper-draught vessel that is supposed to arrive. The plan to complete the swap is ruined, heightening the crisis.

During an unscheduled stop at a small island, the crew attend the hundredth birthday party of an islander. Marshall chats with a nineteen-year-old girl about her future, advising her to choose ambition over wealth, revealing his own changing outlook. The moment resonates with his personal life, adding emotional complexity to the voyage.

As they near their destination, the Maggie's engine falters. Marshall uses his engineering knowledge to revive the aging machinery, but the repair is only partial, leaving the ship vulnerable. The vessel struggles toward the shore, heightening the sense of imminent danger.

With the engine barely functioning, Marshall proposes jettisoning the furniture to lighten the ship. MacTaggart reveals that he did not insure the cargo, but Marshall orders it thrown overboard anyway. The drastic decision ultimately allows the Maggie to survive the perilous approach.

The Maggie is saved after the cargo is jettisoned, and Marshall, influenced by Dougie, relents and lets MacTaggart keep the money he desperately needed. This act softens Marshall's previously hostile stance and acknowledges the crew's loyalty.

In gratitude and a final gesture of reconciliation, MacTaggart renames the puffer the Calvin B. Marshall. The renaming cements a new respect between captain and owner and marks a fresh chapter for the vessel. The voyage ends on a note of magnanimity and mutual regard.