Beneath the 12 Mile Reef is a Romeo-and-Juliet tale about the Petrakis father and son team who dive for sponges off the coast of Key West. When their normal catch no longer produces enough sponges, the Petrakis family encounters dangerous competition with the Rhys family that leads to violence in order to main their established fishing grounds along the 1-mile reef. Meanwhile, a love emerges between the son Tony Petrakis (Robert Wagner) and the rival daughter Gwyneth Rhys (Terry Moore). The film received an Academy Award nomination for Best Cinematography.