In 1940, Ulrich, made famous by the Nazi propaganda machine, and Bobby, an Iowa farm boy, face their fears on the contested ocean separating their homes - one in a U-boat, the other, on a merchant ship. When tragedy strikes, they give new meaning to the adage of keeping one's enemies close. As World War II rages across the planet, the two young men make eye contact when their vessels nearly collide in a mid-Atlantic storm. A year later, they are still haunted by the memory as Hurricane Vicki sweeps Bobby off his doomed ship and plucks Ulrich from the conning tower of his laboring U-boat. Both nearly drown, but miraculously find refuge on an abandoned lifeboat. Suspicion, fear, and anger drive them to kill, but they need each other to survive. For weeks they struggle to stay alive - trustless and defensive. As their situation becomes dire, the two begin to speak of their pasts and they discover they are related. No longer enemies - they're second cousins.