In October 1991, three raging weather fronts, one of them a powerful hurricane, combined in the North Atlantic to form the greatest storm in recorded history. Caught in the storm was the sword-fishing boat Andrea Gail. Billy Tyne is the sword-fishing boat captain of the Gail who is from Gloucester. Tyne is highly competitive, but has been stung by a string of poor outings. His crew is hardly back in port when he tells them he's going out again, even though it's October and the weather can turn ugly. Five join him. At first, they catch little, so they sail east, Tyne ignores the storm warnings behind him. Finally, the fish bite, but when the ice machine fails the men decide to try to head back with the catch that they have waited so long to get. Based on a true story of Sebastian Junger.