A German U-Boat, U-571, torpedoes and sinks a ship but moments later is critically damaged by a British destroyer. The submarine resurfaces. American naval forces intercept the submarines message to Berlin for assistance and a plan is hatched to pretend to be the German aid and capture the submarine together with the much needed Enigma code machine which could help end the war quicker by deciphering the once thought unbreakable German encrypted code. The daring raiding party consists of Lt. Andrew Tyler (Matthew McConaughey), Seaman Bill Wentz (Jack Noseworthy) who can speak German as well as English, Major Matthew Coonan (David Keith) a marine in Naval Intelligence, and another Navy sailor named Hirsch (Jake Weber) who is also fluent in German among others. Once captured are the group able to get the submarine safely into allied docks without being killed by their own side?