On 27th September 1994, the car ferry Estonia departed from Tallinn with 989 people on board. She was bound for Stockholm but never arrived. Six hours into the stormy crossing, the 15,000-ton ship sent out a desperate Mayday communication. By interviewing passengers and crew and by analyzing the official investigation into the accident, the evidence is pieced together to show how this tragedy took place and how, incredibly, 137 people managed to survive.