A U-boat disappears in the North Atlantic in October 1942 and mysteriously re-surfaces in 1988. Gradually, the Kapitan and crew come to realise they have been propelled through time when radio silence is broken.The story explores the strengths, weaknesses and delicacies of the human condition as the men struggle to come to terms with the situation.U-116 returns to West Germany to a hero's welcome but the ordeal for most of the submariners is only just beginning as they set about tracing their erstwhile families in a divided country.