This film was originally intended to be a documentary about sharks in their natural habitat. Over four years of filming, though, filmmaker Rob Stewart uncovered the shocking truth about the dangers posed to the survival of the shark population by the illegal global finning trade. Stewart's lifelong obsession with these magnificent underwater creatures leads him to join forces with renegade conservationist Paul Watson of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society. What began as a Cousteau-esque exploration of underwater life turns into a life-threatening situation for Rob and Paul as they deal with poachers, pirates, corrupt bureaucrats, boat-rammings and attempted murder charges.