The journey begins as the crew of the USS Tiger Shark, a World War II sub prowling mid-Atlantic waters, heads for its homeport in Connecticut. At the end of a long and deadly mission, the crew is ordered to take on three survivors of a torpedoed British hospital ship. To the shock of the men, the refugees include a female nurse, who reminds them of the age-old fable that a woman on a submarine brings bad luck. Indeed, bad luck ensues, as the sub finds itself unable to surface, putting everyone at risk of oxygen deprivation. Making matters worse, the alluring new passenger begins to ask probing questions about a recent death aboard the sub.
Soon, the crew finds itself battling not just for the Allies but for their own sanity as apparitions, disturbing noises and spontaneous accidents begin to plague the journey home. The chain of command breaks down, as does the men’s courage and certainty, until absolute chaos reigns in the tight spaces of the boat. Is it lack of air causing primal fears to emerge? Are the untrustworthy newcomers playing some sort of deadly game? Could it be the unsettling presence of a woman? Or is there something aboard the sub that, like the crew, cannot find a way out?
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