Pirates of Penzance is a delightfully funny tale of a band of tenderhearted pirates. Mistakenly apprenticed to a pirate (instead of a pilot) by his nursemaid, Ruth, at the age of eight, Frederic is now twenty-one and chooses to abandon his profession and to seek redemption from his former life of crime. Shortly after, he encounters beautiful maidens whose father is the eccentric Major-General, and one of the girls, Mabel, steals his heart. The pirates swoop in, planning on marrying the lovely daughters. However, the Major-General states that he is an orphan -- and the pirates let them go, since they are orphans themselves. Just as Frederic is about to get his redemption, a secret is uncovered that will change his fate forever.