In a 19th century fishing harbor, the captain of the Komquot is obsessed with catching the great white whale Dicky Moe. His obsession unnerves his crew so badly that they all desert the ship. Shortly afterward, the captain finds Tom searching for food in the harbor, knocks him out, and takes him aboard. Tom believes at first that he is going on a cruise, but the captain soon puts him to work scrubbing the deck.
Tom and Jerry are sleeping outside during the day when a yellow bird wearing a red helmet lands on Tom, waking him up. Although the bird brushes Tom's torso off and reacts politely like "pardon me", Tom goes after the bird, catches it, and proceeds to beat it up.
This cartoon opens with a narrator introducing the ancient Greek Acropolis, describing its wealth and beautiful architecture. Tom is depicted as one of these inhabitants, an alley cat who lives in the shadows of Athens searching for food.
