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The plot describes a situation where, during a coup in the Soviet Union, the rebels take control of a nuclear missile base and threaten to attack the United States. The U.S. government urgently orders the USS Alabama nuclear submarine to prepare for counterattack. However, at the critical moment when the decision to issue an attack order is being made, the submarine's communication system malfunctions, making it impossible to determine the authenticity of the order. The submarine commander, played by Hackman, decides to launch the attack, but the newly arrived executive officer, Washington, believes the matter is too important and insists on verifying the information before acting, even going so far as to initiate a mutiny and imprison his superior.