汤姆和盖尔夫妇感情疏远，为了弥合裂隙，他们决定带儿子罗克进行一次激流冒险旅行。途中他们遇到三个可疑的人，韦德、特里和弗兰克。后来做向导的弗兰克突然失踪了。韦德用一些小手段“笼络”住罗克，使罗克拿他当英雄一般崇拜，但汤姆和盖尔始终保持警惕。 事实上，韦德和特里是抢劫巨款潜逃的罪犯。他们终于露出了狰狞面目，将一家三口扣做人质，准备顺流而下逃出国境。汤姆逃出虎口，到下游埋伏起来。韦德以为汤姆已死，放心地向下走，没想到汤姆打了他们一个措手不及，船上的盖尔积及配合丈夫，击毙韦德。大难之后，一家人又团结在了一起。
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。
艾历克斯·道尔是一个追求极致的大一新生，会为了考出更高分反复参加考试。在加入了学校的赛艇部之后，她不惜任何代价都要打败队友、进入专业队代表学校参加比赛的念头越发强烈，但与此同时，包括教练、女友在内的人担心着她的身体和精神状况。求胜心切的艾历克斯能成功得到自己想要的一切吗？
Prince Wilhelm adjusts to life at his prestigious new boarding school, Hillerska, but following his heart proves more challenging than anticipated.
Eighteen-year-old Nawa is a rural boy who grew up with the river and competitive longboat rowing. He has a dream of rowing his father's boat to provincial championship victory, but an issue brings him to stop playing the sport and separate from his friends. When Nawa starts his first year of university, he meets Pai, a fellow science major with a determination to become a rower for the national canoeing team and a dream to eventually compete in the Olympics. Meeting Pai leads Nawa to take up the paddle again. When by happenstance Nawa joins a canoeing club, Nawa feels he begins to know himself again.
