William Sukara, a gregarious dreamer, emerges from the 1950s an estranged son. In divorce debt and with limited visitation rights as a father, he searches for order in failure. Pursuing self-discipline as an answer, he enlists in the Navy, volunteers for underwater demolition team training, and survives the elite course. With five other team members, he raises his hand for a clandestine mission, knowing only that it's a "hundred day operation in a warm climate." They are led by a mysterious civilian who alludes that their authorization comes from the Oval Office, and they are to operate with extreme malice. They revolt, escaping under bizarre circumstances. The Helmsman of Anthesis is a raw, close to the nerve, psychological thriller about a mission gone wantonly mad.