This black and white film takes place in 1934 in the Netherlands shortly after the closing of the Afsluitdijk, the dam closing off the Zuiderzee (modern-day IJsselmeer) from the North Sea, fueling a conflict between young and old fishermen about their daily catch on the Zuiderzee. After the dam is finished, effectively turning the Zuiderzee into one big inland lake, the old fishermen call it "dead water" (hence the title Dood Water). Nothing will be like it ever was. The fishermen desperately try to turn the tide by attacking the dam with spades and even explosives, culminating in tragedy.