The year is 1994 when a sudden distress signal goes out in the Baltic Sea. MS Estonia is about to sink. The priest Mikaela Karlsson, the engineer Henri Peltonen and the rescue diver Ari Luoma-aho are fighting on each side to get a handle on the situation.

The accident commission, with representatives from Sweden, Estonia and Finland, meets for the first time.They state that the wreck must be found. Mikaela Larsson seeks information for the relatives and Henri Peltonen's engineering skills are put to the test.

A long and difficult night awaits the crew of the MS Silja Europa when they decide to turn their ship around and come to Estonia's rescue. The wreckage is found, but new questions are raised as the underwater cameras approach the seabed.

The conflicts grow within the accident commission when Sweden's chairman Erik Claeson refuses to share all the video material from the wreck with other countries.

The survivor Janek Tamm is called in for his seventh questioning at the accident commission. Henri Peltonen tries to produce a complete timeline of the course of events, but Tamm's story changes time and time again. Can he really be trusted?

An Estonian dancer and a Swedish woman fight for their lives in the cold water after Estonia sinks. Peltonen does his best to keep the investigation going, but when the budget gets tight, he chooses to take matters into his own hands.

The accident commission decides to publish its final report. Survivors and relatives seek justice and gather to honor all those who lost their lives.