I have been asked to not quote anything from the story directly and I don't know if that includes even the chapter titles so I will just number them. Chapter 1 begins with a young man named HUGO washing up on a beach. (I think later we know that he is 17-18 years old?) He is unconscious and there is a chain attached to his ankle that goes back into the ocean (Atlantic? Pacific??).
A baby named LITTLE VICKERS finds Hugo and pokes him with a stick. Hugo wakes up and throws up and the baby screams. Hugo is very confused until he notices the chain, which reminds him of something.