The narrative events of Benito Cereno unfold primarily off the rugged, windswept Pacific coast of South America, specifically near the remote island of St. Maria off the coast of Chile. The action takes place almost entirely upon the quarantined, rotting decks of the disabled Spanish merchant and slave ship, the San Dominick, where American captain Amasa Delano boards under the mistaken belief that the vessel has simply suffered from severe storms, scurvy, and water shortages.