What really happened to Peter Grimes’s missing apprentice, and was he involved?

The bleak, enclosed world of a fishing village provides the backdrop for the story of fisherman Peter Grimes and his uneasy relationship with the other inhabitants. Following the death of Grimes's apprentice, the community presumes Grimes to be guilty. Although he is cleared of any blame, the villagers no longer trust him, and when his new apprentice accidentally falls to his death, Grimes spirals towards a tragic breakdown.