This novel is a fictionalized story of the capsize of Costa Concordia cruise ship off the coast of Italy. This work is based upon real events. Certain events, dialogue and characters were created for purposes of fictionalization. On Friday the thirteenth the Costa Concordia, a cruise ship three football fields long with 4,200 passengers and crew capsizes off the coast of Italy. At ships launch the champagne bottle refuses to break. An inauspicious omen in maritime history. The Captain coming on the bridge after dinner sees foam on the water. "My God Were too close to the shore." He shouts. "Hard to starboard." The helmsman turns to port. The helmsman says, Sorry, I'm just learning English. A loud crunching sound echoes through the ship. Dishes slide off the tables. Chaos follows. The chief engineer reports: "The hull has been gashed and water is rushing in." A steward shouts to passengers. "Go back to your cabins. It's just an electrical problem and is being fixed." A fortune in diamonds spills out from the jewelry inner sanctum. The Captain heads ashore leaving terrified people trapped aboard the doomed ship. The Coast Guard orders the Captain. "Get back to your ship and help those still on board. The novel continues after the capsize, detailing the complex parbuckle operation and removal of the ship from the pristine Italian coast.