Recounts one of the 20th century's greatest tragedies at sea: the 1915 sinking of the British luxury liner Lusitania by a German U-boat. According to the British, the ship was simply carrying several scions of American society and nurses on their way to assist the wounded in the slaughter of the Somme. However, the Germans insisted she was carrying ammunition-an allegation that seemed to be borne out by the Lusitania's tremendous explosion. The documentary features rarely seen archival footage, comments and opinions by maritime historians, and firsthand reports of the tragedy.