The St. Christopher is a Kodiak, Alaska based fishing boat that fishes the waters of the Bering Sea. Its crew is a disparate group, with those in authority - most specifically Captain Jack Colvin, and deck boss Stubbs - having an "you better do your job and do it well or else" attitude, which affects primarily novice seaman Tommy, who is looking for a financial windfall while having an adventure. For Stubbs, being disagreeable seems to be a sport. For Jack, it's because of the dire financial situation he's in, which didn't even allow him to pay his crew on their last outing. He is caught in a catch-22 situation: the St. Christopher has not passed its safety inspection, but he can't afford the necessary repairs unless he goes out fishing, most specifically in the lucrative scallop fishery, and brings in a good haul. So Jack and crew decide to slip out of port undetected to get a jump on the fishery, despite what looks to be an impending storm. What they are unaware of is that there is a typhoon brewing in the Pacific which is moving in their direction, information from the Coast Guard which is issued after the St. Christopher is well out to sea. Beyond the problems of running into the actual typhoon, the St. Christopher may face additional issues in getting out of the storm in one piece since it has a malfunctioning radio, which doesn't allow them to transmit their location to the authorities.