For Johnny Carter, Chief Officer on the SS Campari, the luxury cruise in the Caribbean has begun badly; there's been a series of delays that may be sabotage, and one of the crew has suddenly disappeared. A search reveals nothing and the wealthy passengers are getting restless. Then mounting tension explodes into violence as modern-day pirates move in for the kill. But this is no mere hijacking. Their target is a fortune in gold bullion - and their weapon is a nuclear time-bomb ...