A team of deep-sea technicians work side by side with a group of underwater archaeologists from the Italian Ministry of Cultural Assets in an operation that is unique of its kind. For the first time methods and equipment characteristic of archaeological excavations are used in a recovery operation at a depth of more than one hundred metres. Living at a pressure of 10 atmospheres for three weeks, 4 men operate on the sea bed in shifts, recovering one of the greatest undersea treasures to be found in Italian waters. It is what remains of the first dramatic shipwreck in the history of passenger shipping in Italy. With the help of technology, archaeologists and technicians are uncovering evidence of an event that took place over 160 years ago: the mysterious sinking of a packet-boat with its precious cargo during the tumultuous period leading up to the Unification of Italy.