This story of a ship, the British destroyer HMS Torrin, and memories of the folks back home, are told in flash backs by survivors as they cling to a life raft. The epitome of stiff upper lip, as Coward's captain graciously condescends to his forelock-touching crew like an indulgent auntie, serves chiefly as a reminder of the structures of snobbery and privilege in the services which were partially responsible for Labour's postwar election victory.