As a result of the treachery of crewman Harry Greene, who has encouraged the sailors to mutiny, the explorer Henry Hudson and several of his loyal companions have been set adrift to die on the waters of the bay that bears his name. As he slowly dies, Hudson meditates on his adventurous life and wonders whether the excitement of it was worth the fate that he is now facing. The opera is a meditation on life, free will and destiny. (notes by librettist, Charles Mountford)