April 30, 1958: the tiny and remote U.S. Coast Guard LORAN (LOng Range Aid to Navigation) Station Biorka Island off the coast of Alaska identifies a nearby vessel in distress. With the timely assistance of some local fishermen, they find an unmarked and abandoned Russian trawler containing highly advanced electronic instruments. With poor weather closing in, they tow the mystery ship back to the station, report the incident, and wait for orders.