| Director | Wolfgang Fischer |
|---|---|
| Genre | drama film |
| Runtime | 94 min |
| Country | Austria, Germany |
Rike is a German emergency doctor. For her holiday she decided to sail alone on her twelve-metre long yacht "Asa Gray", on a trip in the footsteps of Charles Darwin from Gibraltar to Ascension Island in the South Atlantic. During her journey off North Africa, she is informed by a container ship passing nearby that she must prepare for a severe storm on her way.
After the violent storm that night, she discovers a damaged and overloaded trawler near her boat. Containing over a hundred people, threatened with death by drowning, they wave and shout towards her yacht. Rike tries to contact the boat by radio. When she does not receive an answer, she tries to contact rescue teams and organise the rescue. However, the requests for help remain largely unanswered at first, although several vessels can be seen nearby on the onboard radar. Coastguards are warned and promise help, but this will take many hours. The captain of the transport ship, who had promised support before the storm, informs her that his shipping company has prohibited any involvement in the rescue at sea of refugees.
Through her binoculars, Rike notices passengers falling or jumping into the water. A 14-year-old boy swims and reaches the yacht. With the help of a lifebuoy, she rescues the exhausted boy from the water and hoists him onto her ship. The boy's name is Kingsley, which is written on his wristband. Rike moves away from the trawler, so as not to provoke further attempts, as her boat is too small to accommodate all the passengers. She gives first aid to Kingsley, bandages his wounds, and puts him on an IV drip. She calls the coastguard again by radio, who promise her that help is on its way and that she must stay away from the refugee boat.
Kingsley, who speaks some English, regains consciousness and tries to pressure Rike to come to the rescue of the trawler where, among others, his sister is on. He struggles with Rike to get the ignition key of the yacht, even pushing her overboard. After starting the engine and moving somewhat away, Kingsley stops the engine again, and Rike climbs back on deck with difficulty. Shocked by this act, she is furious with Kingsley, but notices his despair and calls the coastguard again, claiming that the "Asa Gray" will sink now. After the SOS, she cuts the ship's electrical system and activates her distress beacon.
The following night, she approaches the trawler, climbs aboard and finds a number of dead and dying people on the ship. At dawn, the tenders of a Coast Guard frigate shuttle with the abandoned trawler to rescue the survivors and recover the dead, while radio messages about other ships in distress arrive, each with hundreds of refugees on board. Rike is recovered by the frigate. Traumatized and unable to answer the questions of the coastguards, she is informed that proceedings are being brought against her.