In the summer of 1914, the transatlantic ocean liner carrying Grace Winter and her new husband Henry suffers a mysterious explosion. Forced into an overcrowded lifeboat, newly widowed Grace battles the elements and her fellow survivors and remembers her husband, who set his own safety aside to ensure hers. The survivors quickly realize that the boat is over capacity. For any to live, some must die. Over the course of three perilous weeks, the passengers plot, scheme, and console each other while sitting inches apart. Their deepest beliefs about goodness, humanity, and God are tested to the limit as they discover what they will do in order to survive.