Nine people survive a plane crash, endure horrific days on a raft, and their subsequent rescue initiates a nonstop trip from which they can never escape.

Helen and Frank, complete strangers, play a game on a long flight to Argentina, guessing the names and personal lives of seven other passengers. The passengers chosen include three women and four men. Each has a story to tell in their own right, but they all hide dark secrets of their pasts. 

The interaction among the passengers creates stresses well beyond one's imagination leading to physical and mental decline, paranoia, and even death. Sharks, bad weather, mirages, and open sea pirates complicate their miserable tribulations.

Their eventual rescue is considered retribution for all their misfortunes only for them to realize that another trip to Hell and back has just begun.