In March 1940, the author John Steinbeck and his friend, marine biologist Ed Ricketts, sailed down the coast of California and Mexico to the Sea of Cortez. Their stated purpose was to document the creatures that inhabit shallow waters and tide pools on the margins of the Sea of Cortez. But it became much more. In these mysterious, phosphorescent waters, they sought an understanding of mankind’s relationship to the natural world, and a wellspring of hope for a world headed toward war. Can the story of their journey inspire new efforts to preserve the Sea of Cortez.