**Based on the remarkable true story of the Carpathia--the only ship
and her legendary captain who answered the distress call of the sinking
Titanic.
Just after midnight on April 15, 1912, the passenger steamship
Carpathia receives a distress signal from the largest passenger liner
ever built, RMS Titanic, which is on its maiden voyage from
Southampton, England, to New York.
Captain Arthur Rostron is awakened to an enormous maritime emergency
with little information to guide his actions in answering the call for
help. Is the dire threat to the unsinkable Titanic accurate? His ship
is more than four hours away; will Carpathia hold together if pushed
to never-before-tested speeds? What if his ship also strikes an iceberg?
How many of Titanic's 2,200 passengers will the Carpathia be able to
accommodate? And with the freezing temperatures, will there be any
survivors by the time the Carpathia arrives?
Kate Connolly is excited to join her sister in America and proud to be
traveling on the grand Titanic, which was built in her Irish homeland.
As a passenger in third-class accommodations, she is among the last to
receive instruction and help after Titanic hits an iceberg. Among the
chaos of abandoning ship, the chances of her securing a spot in a
lifeboat appear grim. With the help of several men, also from Ireland,
Kate finally reaches the upper decks and feels lucky to board Lifeboat
13, although no one knows if or when a rescue ship will come. She fears
the icy water and wonders if they'll all freeze to death. After seeing
their magnificent ship submerge into the abyss, and hearing the cries of
hundreds of fellow passengers drowning, it is almost too much to bear
and Kate fleetingly thinks succumbing to her ordeal is the easiest
escape.
Told in alternating chapters from the perspective of Captain Rostron on
the Carpathia and Kate Connolly on the Titanic, this historical
novel is a compelling, heart-pounding account of two eyewitnesses to an
epic disaster. Rostron's heroic and compassionate leadership, his
methodical preparations for rescue, and his grit and determination to
act honorably and selflessly to save lives and care for the survivors,
sets the course for this awe-inspiring story.
