Kiss The Captain or Drown follows Tessa, an ordinary office worker whose sales record wins her a seven-day cruise on the Poseidon. At eight o' clock the ballroom clock jams at 23:47, black fog rises, and Captain Vane announces the Devil's midnight hunt: one passenger will be dragged into the deep sea each night, and anyone who dies aboard will be erased from reality. A rose-gold Survival Guide System binds itself to Tessa, naming Vane as her target. To survive, she must win favor from the cold-blooded Keeper—kissing him before the dead, lying to him in the Devil's polygraph, dancing with him as blood rises. As passengers turn on her, Tessa discovers the ship' s black heart, stolen memories, and Vane's one unused transfer exemption. When he gives up his title to carry her into the light, Tessa wakes in her own bed—until the new executive in her office turns and smiles: “It is a pleasure to meet you, Tessa."
