On its own final leg homeward, from Pearl Harbour (Hawaii) to San Diego, the USS Constellation hosts a jolly'tiger cruise' for both USNavy, Marines along with USNAF family relations, mainly minors ('Navy brats'). Emotions and attitudes vary from joy to receptive the brat being XO commander Gary Dolan's daughter Maddie, frustration, who wants him to refuse a promotion to control for a beach job. Then the news headlines of the WCC terror crisis alters everything, since the team is remembered to war bottom.