In the middle of the Cold War, a lonely picket ship on the North Atlantic plies between tedium and apathy. It must defend the country against the sinister forces of Russian aggression—while trying to contain the chaos between its own decks.

As part of the DEW-Line (Distant Early Warning Line), the Cunningham searches out any Russian plane trying to penetrate the thin line of ships stretching from the Virginia Capes to Newfoundland. Whether by accident or design, the Cunningham is manned by an odd assortment of misfi ts, semi-alcoholics, idealists, burned-out retreads and mustangs (offi cers who have risen up from the ranks). One of these offi cers is Commander Nicholas Ogleby, who is obsessed with becoming the fi rst mustang admiral in the history of the United States Navy.

Under him is Roger Craig, his executive offi cer, who wards off alcoholism by refusing shore duty. He carries on a ramshackle love affair with Elizabeth Hudson, who tries to relieve him of a huge load of guilt from a tragic incident in World War II. Pug Morrison, Craig’s operations offi cer, seems determined to be his conscience, as the tyrannical Ogleby—and the high-pressure tedium of picket duty—seem to rip through the offi cers and crew of the Cunningham one by one. And then, amidst this atmosphere of tension and guilt, the Cunningham wakes up one morning surrounded by Russian submarines. The stage is set for a white-knuckle submarine chase between two master seaman, until they plow right into a hurricane. Over the next three days, Roger Craig and Pug Morrison battle to save their ship and to prevent World War III. At the end of it all—as survival seems just over the next wave—Captain Ogleby is killed under mysterious circumstances. And even a gripping court-martial cannot unravel the final ambiguity in Ogleby’s death.