Commander Graham Martineau was awarded the Victoria Cross for pressing home an attack against impossible odds. Few survived, and the crimson ribbon remains a jaunting symbol of the sacrifice of ship and men.

Now, as captain of the Tribal Class destroyer H.M.S. Hakka, Martineau must once again demand, from ordinary seamen, the ultimate in courage as they prepare to defend vital convoys to Russia. There is no hiding place in these bitter Arctic seas, where a pitiless enemy awaits a final rendezvous. All are heroes, and no man and no ship is immortal.