On her first voyage as a stewardess aboard the Empress of Ireland, Ellie is drawn to the solitary fire stoker, Jim, who stands by the ship's rail late at night, often writing in a journal. After a wonderful afternoon in Quebec City, the unspeakable happens and the ship is sunk. Ellie does survive but she doesn't know what happened to Jim. When Wyatt Steele, a journalist show's her Jim's diary, Ellie jumps at the chance to share her experience. Wyatt will pay her but only one page at a time...