Russia, 1961. At the height of the Cold War, the USSR launches the K-19, its first nuclear-powered submarine equipped with ballistic missiles. A baleful series of events, however, precedes the launch of the submarine, which is dubbed “the widowmaker” by superstitious sailors. When Commander Mikhail Polenin (Liam Neeson) complains to his superiors that the K-19 is unreliable, he is joined on board by Captain Alexei Vostrikov (Harrison Ford), who, after demoting him, assumes command and unleashes great tension aboard.