Duncan Bell (Van Heflin) is a wealthy man who sets out to sail around the globe with his son. Traveling in Bell's yacht, the two ambitious sailors face a perilous situation when an accident causes the boat to explode, throwing them both into the sea, with only debris to keep them afloat. While they drift on the ocean, Bell thinks back on his troubled life, particularly on how his alcohol problem has damaged his relationship with his wife, Liana (Ellie Lambeti).