July, 1923, and Daisy has been invited by an American magazine to cover the Henley Regatta. But unknown to her, she steps into a class war between two members of the Oxford rowing team. Cox Horace Bott - a shopkeeper's son, has always hated rower Basil DeLancy - younger son of an earl and all-round cad and bully. And after a particularly brutal public humiliation by DeLancy, Bott swears revenge - so when DeLancy keels over and dies mid-race, it would seem he's made good his promise.