When Danish cargo ship MV Rozen is taken by Somalian pirates, a battle of compromise begins. Our first point of connection in the film is Mikkel (Pilou Asbæk) who becomes somewhat of a protagonist even though he never quite feels like the focal point. Mikkel is the vessel's cook and is just ending a long run at sea to return home to his wife and kids. He's an everyman who serves as a suitable blank slate to draw a sweaty transformation upon. In the midst of the stuffy, traumatic quagmire to come, Mikkel is doomed to change.