Laura's life is turned upside down when she is attacked by a shark while celebrating her 18th birthday. She's rescued by Bruce, a handsome young man just returned home from college. As she recovers, he becomes a local hero for his bravery. As the dust settles, Bruce seems smitten with his damsel in distress, but Laura is not ready to move past the boyfriend she lost in the attack.

Haunted by an accident he caused in high school, a damaged filmmaker is forced to go back to the scene of the tragedy and face the friends whose lives he ruined and a town that disdains him. Jumping between the present and an indie film he made about the accident reveals how the true events played out far differently than depicted in his movie.

影片根据丹尼尔·詹姆斯·布朗的同名畅销小说改编，讲述1936年，华盛顿大学几个普通家庭成长的男生组建了一支赛艇队，他们一路过关斩将，在比赛中接连击败哈佛大学和耶鲁大学，还击败了东道主德国最强赛艇队，最终斩获奥运会金牌。