For eighty-four days, Santiago, the old fisherman, had not caught a single fish. He had been hailed as the best fisherman in his youth but his bad luck had plagued him for the past eighty-four days. The younger and luckier fisherman of his village ridiculed him and did not help him in fear that the bad luck may spread to them. In fact, Santiago's young companion Manolin was ordered by his father to work for a more successful fisherman. However, Manolin remained loyal to Santiago and always tried to help the old man in any way he could. The young boy frequently took food to Santiago and listened to the old man talk about baseball. Santiago took a particular interest in Joe DiMaggio and dreamed of taking him out to fish. Santiago also dreamed of lions on a beach, a vivid picture he had once experienced as a young sailor.
The next morning, Santiago set out to sail alone. He was determined to sail out to the deep waters in hopes of ending his unlucky streak. Eventually, Santiago caught a ten pound tuna. Determined to catch even bigger fish, he used the fresh meat to bait one of his lines. After a long time, the old fisherman felt a bite. He tested his line and guessed that it must be a marlin nibbling at the bait. He waited for a strike and the fish eventually took the bait entirely. Once hooked, the marlin swam furiously out to sea while dragging Santiago and the boat. Santiago was determined not to let the fish go and used his entire weight to hold the line. He decided to wait for the marlin to become exhausted from swimming and dragging the boat. .
The next morning, the fish was still swimming on and seemed almost tireless. Santiago's hands were cramping up and sliced by the fishing line. The fish suddenly surfaced and leaped into the air giving Santiago a marvelous look at the fish. The fish then continued setting out and Santiago could do nothing but hold on and wait. Suffering from hunger, Santiago cut strips from the tuna and chewed slowly.