Henry Bulman is a retired submariner from Her Majesty's Royal Navy, and a highly potent one. Some time during World War II, Bulman and his troops are caught in shallow water off Sicily. The Germans bomb them for seven hours. In 1941, Bulman's submarine sinks four enemy troop transports in four hours off the Tunisian coast. 15,000 men are drowned. After the war, Bulman is discharged from Her Majesty's Royal Navy. Later, the UK government ruins his family's business with massive takeovers. His family, his wife, his friends, and his self respect are all gone.