Ward Lumpkin is a man in the Confederate Army with a "herky-jerky" hip in 1863. Along with other soldiers who are undesirable and "unreliable," he volunteers to be part of the crew of the_ H. L. Hunley_, an experimental submarine constructed by the Confederate military. The first few missions of the Hunley were a failure: the first crew lost five people after the captain accidentally started the ship while the hatch was still open, and the second crew, led by Hunley himself, sank in a practice attack after rounds of successful runs. After the Hunley kills two of its crews, she returns to active duty only two weeks later with a new captain: Lieutenant Dixon. The crew is assembled with volunteers, including Ward, and they take practice rounds around Battery Marshall. In December, the crew is ordered to approach Union troops and engage the USS Camden in darkness, taking advantage of the element of surprise, only to turn around when they reach a picket ship. In February of 1864, the new Hunley crew gets its chance to take action. Dixon orders the crew to approach the USS Housatanic. He brings a gold coin of good luck given to him by his fiancée that saved his leg when he was shot earlier in the war. The Hunley approaches the Housatanic and fires, hitting the ship and exploding the Union asset. But the Hunley takes a hit herself, and water fills up the submarine. Ward hears screaming and watches his crew panic as the water rises to their chests. He listens as the ship sinks to the floor of the ocean and rests there.