Evan O'Gorman is a young, Irish rower, coached by a father who is tormented by grief and an obsession with qualification for the Olympics. When Evan's oar hits a dead horse in the River Liffey, it starts an irresistible chain of events that carries him from rowing defeat, through the psychological devastation of a breakup, to exile in Barcelona. Evan's search for the daughter of a Basque terrorist draws him into the sphere of a psychopathic killer and ultimately leads to a flight for his life, a World Championships and a thrilling conclusion on a lake in the north of Spain.