This true story of triumph over adversity begins with Pete Goss's first transatlantic race at the age of 24 in a boat so old that the keel falls off after arriving in Newport. He next becomes a skipper in sailing competitions that teach him fundamental lessons about teamwork and character under extreme conditions, as he pursues his ultimate dream: the single-handed round-the-world race. To raise the money to build the boat for this grueling competition, Goss sells his car, his television set, and finally his house. The race itself confronts Goss with all the challenges of high-speed sailing, from combating waves the height of six-story buildings to the unremitting and exhilarating trial of his skills. A third of the way through the race everything goes wrong. His sails are destroyed, his navigation equipment proves useless. Then he receives a Mayday that a competitor is sinking 160 miles away, upwind. Now Goss has to find a man on a life raft in a merciless wilderness of ocean.

How he does it, and still completes the race, is the stuff truly inspiring tales are made of.