It is 1939 and the eve of war. Tom Haldane's life is at a crossroads but the prospect of joining up promises some answers for him. When he joins the crew of the Aida, a convoy rescue ship, little does he know that the next five years will turn into a gripping odyssey, a journey that is by turns terrifying, comic, poignant and romantic. Throughout the war Haldane is also tormented by the memory of a fortune teller's prediction he heard at the outbreak of war, a prophecy that is proving increasingly accurate. Based on the real story of the Zamalek and her crew, one of the few rescue ships that survived the convoy war, having saved more lives than any other vessel in the fleet, we read how Haldane came to terms both with the tribulations of war and his future life when it is over. We also discover how the words of the fortune teller come uncannily true. The story of the Aida reaches a dramatic climax in Halifax, Nova Scotia when the VE Day celebrations turn into a tragedy. The turning wheel has been relentlessly moved by fate. Haldane and his crewmates come to learn that they are mere pawns in her game of chance.