The egotistical captain, Ballantyre, of a ship suspects that his wife is having an affair with the engineer, Kettner. She denies anything improper but he locks Kettner in the refrigerator anyway. The captain then files a report saying the engineer deserted the ship that means King is brought in to investigate the disappearance. King finds Kettner on the point of death but manages to revive him. Ballantyre has being vindictive towards him and continually putting him down, but King has yet to discover the real reason.
—jem