John Sands, captain of a small rescue ship in the English Channel, discovers the freighter Mary Deare drifting and nearly abandoned. Although there's only a small fire aboard, the entire crew appears to have left—except for first officer Gerald Patch, who sends John away upon discovery. Sands, intrigued by the mystery, is persuaded by Patch to remain silent about what he encountered and to delay the official investigation into the incident aboard the Mary Deare. Cast: - Gary Cooper as Gideon Patch - Charlton Heston as John Sands - Michael Redgrave as Mr. Nyland - Emlyn Williams as Sir Wilfred Falcett - Cecil Parker as The Chairman - Alexander Knox as Petrie - Virginia McKenna as Janet Taggart - Richard Harris as Higgins - Ben Wright as Mike - Peter Illing as Gunderson - Terence De Marney as Frank - Charles Davis as Yules, Quartermaster on Mary Deare Runtime: 105 minutes