Japhet and Tim have hired a ship bound for the Portuguese port city of Pontevidera, where Japhet hopes to find his father. His tireless search once again turns into an adventurous and dangerous journey. The two friends must fight both Portuguese criminal gangs and South American Indians, and when they finally return to London, Japhet is convicted of a murder he never committed.
'The Privateer' is the third film of the four-part series 'Japhet in Search of his Father', which was released in September and October 1922. The four films in the series are based on Captain Marryat’s two-volume work from 1836 – Mr Midshipman Easy and Japhet, in Search of a Father – and are inspired by other well-known works of the author. The main roles of Tim and Japhet are played by Carlo Wieth and Rasmus Christiansen respectively.