From the clash of mighty battleships at Jutland in 1916 to the cold splendor of the present-day Arctic, 'The Darkening Sea' traces the fortunes of the Martin family throughout nearly seventy years of British maritime history. James and John Martin see varied action from service on battle-cruisers in the North Sea during the Great War to cargo-passenger ships on the exploited coast of 1930s China; from the war of corvette vs. U-boats in the North Atlantic to the long slog of Pacific Fleet protection in a WWII destroyer. Along the way, they find love, disillusion and fulfillment. The women in their lives - sisters, wives and lovers - also have their own ambitions in an ever-changing world.