Hoping to find a better life, dockworker Kingsley Ofasa (Omar Epps) and eight other Ghanaian refugees stow away on a Ukrainian cargo ship headed for the United States via France. The ship's sailors discover the refugees when they search for water. Because of an earlier violation in New York City, the captain told the crew that they would be responsible for any new fines. The crew decides to avoid any penalty by murdering the stowaways, who must fight to stay alive until docking in France.