Bryan Parsons' first morning on board the aircraft carrier HMS Powell does not start out well As a new recruit, he hasn't yet learned when to keep his mouth shut. He soon finds himself flat on his back, staring up at the face of the sailor in charge, Thomas Cramer, a man he soon grows to think of as a miserable son of a bitch.

When Cramer suddenly turns up missing, all the young recruits think it's a blessing. But what has happened to him? Soon circumstances point to Bryan Parsons, who struggles to save his good name and soon, his own life.