Heroes of new novel of the known writer-painter of sea-scapes Nikolay Andreevich Черкашина, based on his marching diaries, are офицеры-подводники of the Краснознаменного North fleet. All, that it was for them on life, are this their submarine boats and their women. All, that they were able to do, is to shoot torpedoes from under water to love. To love voraciously, impertinently, selflessly. But most important - all of them were condemned to death, never pronounced although this terrible word aloud. But each of them knew it, tried not to think of it, disbelieve in it, forget about it. A raw spirit is a "awl" - or amenable woman flesh only for a time rescued them from this nagging threatening word-brand, word-fate. Eventually they got used with him, as got used to the dangerous handicraft - to seek out under water and drown stranger submarine boats. And let any of them be free to choose other service, nobody wanted a fate to another.