Seven Were Saved

The Hartleys were married on the day they were liberated from a Japanese prison camp, a rare moment of joy amid their ordeal. This backstory is noted in the film as context for their relationship later on the transport. Their commitment stands as a quiet counterpoint to the harsher events that follow.

Colonel Yamura is aboard the transport, traveling to Manila to face war-crime charges. He is among the passengers as the plane begins its journey home after the war. The capsule of tension accompanying his presence foreshadows the drama to come.

During the flight, Yamura tricks a guard, breaks away, and grabs a gun, killing a crew member and the co-pilot. The ensuing struggle destabilizes the plane and it plummets into the Pacific. The passengers plunge from security into a fight for survival.

After the crash, eight survivors manage to inflate a life raft and cling to the hope of rescue. Among them are Susan Briscoe, the amnesia victim known as Mr. Smith, and Captain Allen Danton who suffers a head wound. They begin to assess their dire situation and plan for survival.

With no immediate rescue in sight, Allen declares they may have to attempt the 600-mile journey to the nearest island. The idea of a long over-water voyage becomes the new focal point of their struggle for survival. The group stocks what they can and prepares for a grueling crossing.

On the first day at sea, Mrs. Hartley realizes that the amnesia victim 'Mr. Smith' is her former husband Philip Thompson, who was thought dead. This revelation creates a tense dilemma about their legal status and future, intensifying the emotional stakes aboard the raft.

In the evening of the third day, Smith slips overboard without anyone noticing, triggering suspicions toward Mr. Hartley during the watch. Fueled by Yamura's provocations, an argument erupts and capsizes the raft, leaving seven survivors struggling in the sea.

With no sails or oars, the group battles hunger and thirst as they press on. While repairing a leak with chewing gum, Blair is attacked by a shark; Lt. Martin Pinkert dives in to distract the predator, allowing Blair to crawl back onto the raft.

On the fifth day, Susan discovers that Allen has become blind from sun exposure, adding a new layer of danger to their voyage. The two struggle to keep the raft on course while relying on dwindling supplies and ingenuity.

Air-Sea Rescue pilot Captain Jim Willis locates the survivors by sneaking onto a Boeing SB-17G 'Dumbo' and dropping a motorized boat. Unable to reach it, the emaciated survivors watch as Jim parachutes into the water, inflates a small raft, and steers the rescue boat toward them.

Jim's rescue boat closes in and carries everyone aboard, and a Catalina flying boat airlifts the survivors back to base. The group begins the long process of recovery after their harrowing experience at sea.

Back at base, Jim suspects Susan has fallen for Allen, but Susan ultimately reunites with Jim. The trio parts ways as they bid Allen goodbye and begin to move forward after the ordeal.