On a rusting cargo ship in the South China Sea, novice sea captain Konrad (Jack Laskey) finds a naked body floating in the sea below and discovers a Chinese woman named Li (Zhu Zhu), who is exhausted from swimming across from another ship anchored in the bay. As they journey together, Konrad shares his food, thoughts, clothes, and cabin with Li, keeping her presence on board a secret from his crew. A romance grows between them as Konrad tries to help Li escape to freedom and start a new life. However, he soon questions the mission orders that instruct him to scuttle the ship before an upcoming storm.