As a crew member of the salvage ship USS Hoist, where he is assigned to the galley, he is inspired by the bravery of Master Chief Petty Officer Leslie William "Billy" Sunday who free dives to rescue a diver knocked overboard without an air line.

Brashear struggles to overcome his educational shortcomings, a result of his leaving school in the seventh grade in order to work on his family's farm.

Brashear proves himself as a diver by rescuing a fellow student when his dive partner, Rourke, abandons him during a salvage exercise gone wrong.

When Sunday asks if Brashear thinks he is better than him, the two don diving gear that fills with water to see who can hold his breath longer.

Brashear marries Jo and rises quickly through the ranks, even becoming a national hero in the 1966 Palomares incident for evading a Soviet submarine, recovering a missing hydrogen bomb and severing his left leg below the knee while saving the lives of Navy crewmen.

Brashear feels that his only chance to return to active duty and a relatively normal life is for the leg to be amputated and replaced with a prosthesis.

Hanks brings in the latest Navy technology, a 290-pound copper diving suit and tells Brashear he must walk 12 steps to qualify for reinstatement.

[citation needed] The film opened at the third position at the North American box office behind Little Nicky and Charlie's Angels, which was on its second week at the top spot.

The critics consensus states, "De Niro and Gooding Jr. manage to turn in performances that make this by-the-numbers inspirational movie watchable.