Following the lives of the three ships with the name Rainbow Warrior, this book, written by a long-serving Greenpeace activist, tells the inside stories of life on board and recounts some of the ship''s most exciting adventures and actions.

It is at once a narrative of real life on board, a history of some of the most famous vessels in the world, and also a history of Greenpeace itself, which goes beyond the oceans and touches on many aspects of the organization''s work. In the end though it aims to bring out the personal stories and firsthand accounts of the ships'' adventures—tales from the high seas, full of action and daring but also of humanity and great compassion.

Starting with the early life of Greenpeace and the bombing of the Rainbow Warrior I by the French secret service through to the imprisonment of the Arctic 30 by the Russians, the stories are brought to life with photos from the Greenpeace archives, maps, and nautical charts. The most symbolic items belonging to the ship''s historical inventory are be also included.

Maite Mompo has been a Greenpeace activist for over ten years. With the sea in her blood she started on a small boat, the Zorba, and then moved on to crew for the Arctic Sunrise, Esperanza, and Rainbow Warrior. Spending half her year at sea, she has sailed from pole to pole, taken part in numerous actions, and has put herself "between the harpoon and the whale."