A select group of world-class yachtsmen prepare for the Round-the-World Multihull Race, a test to determine not only the best go-fast design but also who is the world's greatest skipper. The challengers have known each other through years of Grand Prix and Olympic sailing competitions. Ronny Kelly, amiable and clever Californian, Paoli Venuzzi, who secretly cheated Kelly out of the gold at the Barcelona Olympics, and the Frenchman Phillippe Matin, holder of many cross-Atlantic speed records, emerge as the top contenders. Their efforts are bankrolled by a variety of international corporations plus a Mafia backed bank. The Mafia schemes to collect millions in gambling and drug peddling profits by pressuring their skipper to smuggle cocaine and to arrange "accidents" during the race. As the race proceeds, the Mafia become more and more desperate to recoup their gambling losses and their attempts become much more than "accidents."