 "The Sea Beast" is the first adaptation of Herman Melville's 1851 novel "Moby-Dick", a story about a monomaniacal hunt for a great white whale.However, the film alters the novel's plotline by establishing prequel and sequel elements that are not in the original story—such as the romancing of Esther and Ahab's safe return, respectively—and substitutes a happy ending for Melville's original tragic one.Some of the characters in the film do not appear in Melville's original novel.