‘SPOILER ALERT’

A girl named Jessica sets out on her trial run, before she embarks on her quest to become the youngest person to sail non-stop, and unassisted around the world. Things seem to be going well, and she soon decides to take a nap.

However, she wakes up to the sound of her boat colliding with a cargo ship. There’s nothing she can do, so she just straps herself to the bed. After the crash, she calls her coach, Ben, to inform him of what happened. 

Ben is worried and immediately asks why she didn’t turn on her emergency alarm. Before she can respond, he asks for her coordinates, so that he can send help her way. Jessica starts reading the coordinates, but her dyslexia, which is a disability in reading, sets in and she’s unable to continue. But Ben knows that and encourages her, then tells her to relax.

Shortly after, Ben goes to see Jessica’s parents to inform them of what happened. Her parents, Roger and Julie, get worried about their daughter’s safety, but Ben tells them Jessica is fine. They also call Jessica, who confirms that she’s alright, and there was nothing she could do about the cargo ship.

After the call, Ben tells Jessica’s parents that she’s having trouble calling out the coordinates of where she is. Roger starts to panic and says he’ll call the Coast Guard.

But Ben tells him it’s a bad idea, because it will attract reporters who are expecting her to fail, and forget about her dream to sail solo around the world. Julie asks Ben if he thinks the boat is fine, and he says Jessica has informed him that it is. 

Roger doesn’t like the sound of this, as he thinks his 16-year-old daughter is too young to decide whether the boat is still okay. However, Ben tells him it’s important to let Jessica believe she can do it alone, because they won’t be there to help her, when she’s further away on her record attempt.

The next morning, Jessica is rescued by the Coast Guard. As Ben expected, it attracts a lot of journalists who are waiting at the dock to see when she returns.

When one of the journalists, Atherton, approaches Ben, he tells the reporter he doesn’t know what they think they’re doing. Atherton, however, says they’re there because they all believe Jessica is too young, to go on a solo sailing trip around the world without assistance.

He also says the failed practice run proves she’s going on a dangerous quest. Ben looks pissed, but Roger tells him to leave the reporter alone.

During a press conference to discuss what happened, Atherton and some other reporters ask Jessica several questions about the practice trip. Ben is asked not to speak as they all want to hear from Jessica, so that she can give a correct account of what happened.

This eventually goes badly, as Jessica acknowledges that she forgot to turn on her proximity alarms, which would have alerted her that a ship was in her way.

Her answer sets up her parents for rigorous questioning, about whether they’ll still allow her to go on the trip even though she’s not mature enough. Roger and Julie answer the questions calmly, but shortly after, a reporter calls Ben’s experience into question.

He mentions that while Ben is known to be experienced, losing one of his crew members during a sailing trip in the past, doesn’t make him the best person to coach Jessica. Ben doesn’t like this question, and he immediately calls for the end of the press conference.

Shortly after, while Ben checks the extent of damage on Jessica’s boat, he blames her for being irresponsible by not turning on the alarm. He also tells her that she needs to be more focused, pointing out that if that happens again while she’s on her quest, she could be lost in the middle of the ocean.

Jessica acknowledges her mistake, and Ben says the damage on the boat is not so bad. He says he can patch up the boat to be ready for the ocean again, but Roger disagrees, saying he’ll only allow Jessica to leave, if the boat is properly repaired.

Jessica says they might have no choice if her sponsors don’t respond to them, but Roger says her safety is all that is important to him.

He also mentions that he’s starting to think she should call the whole thing off, after what happened during her practice. Jessica defends herself and says it was only a mistake, and she’ll ensure it doesn’t happen again. 

Days later, Jessica’s family watches a news report that discusses the dangers of her record attempt, with child welfare groups calling that Jessica be stopped from doing something irresponsible and dangerous. The reporter also calls into question the part of Jessica’s parents in allowing her to go on the trip.

As the family just chooses to ignore everything being said, Jessica hears the reporter say that the government is working on a bill that will stop Jessica’s record attempt. Julie tells Jessica not to be bothered by it, because it is unlikely.

Later that day, when Jessica also laments that her sponsors are no longer responding to her calls, and she’s worried that everyone thinks she can’t do it, Julie encourages Jessica and tells her that she can overcome whatever comes, as long as she keeps working toward it. 

The next day, Jessica meets Ben and starts to discuss the costs of the repair, and how it might delay her record attempt slightly.

Ben only tells her to join him on his boat, as he’s taking her somewhere. When they reach their destination, Ben shows her some volunteers working on her old boat. He tells her that after the media tried to shame her, she gained a few more supporters who were willing to help fix her boat.

He mentions that even though she’ll be sailing alone, many people are rooting for her.   

He also tells her that the speed of the repairs will get her on the water, before the government passes a bill to stop her from going on her quest. Just as Jessica looks excited, her family comes in and starts to help the volunteers.

Later that day, when Roger is on his way home, Atherton and his crew stop him to ask about his thoughts on Jessica’s failed practice attempt. Roger says it doesn’t fill him with confidence, and later that day when his family watches the news, they see Roger’s interview.

The whole family is shocked when they hear his response, but Roger says it was a joke that got taken out of context. Jessica also faces her father and asks if he doesn’t think she can do it.

Roger says he doesn’t know, and that he had always thought it was a dream she would eventually forget about. Seeing how the conversation is going, Julie has to tell Roger to stop. He apologizes and tells Jessica that he’s only worried about his little girl.

Later that night, Jessica’s sister, Emily, tells Jessica that she’s sure Roger is only scared, and didn’t mean what he said in the interview.

To make her happy, Emily shows her a blog she has started for Jessica, so that while she’s on her sailing quest, people will be able to hear her true voice, and know who she really is. Jessica thanks Emily and then takes a look at the blog.

The next day, Jessica sets out on her quest, with her family helping her to load up her boat with all that she will need on her voyage.

After that, she bids goodbye to her family, including her brother, Tom, and her younger sister, Hannah. She then goes to meet Ben, who gives her a knife which he says is his lucky charm from his first ever voyage.

After that, Jessica gets on her boat and begins her solo sailing record attempt, with some people from her town waving to her as she leaves.

As Jessica starts to enjoy the first few minutes of her sailing quest, Roger brings Ben into the house to set up his things, so he can monitor Jessica from there. Shortly after, Jessica calls her parents from a sat phone, and when they ask how it already feels, she says it was worth the wait.

She then remembers the day she met Ben and told him about her dream, and how people don’t think she has a chance. That day, Ben provides her with some motivation by telling her to make her own chance.

A few hours after starting her voyage, Jessica starts to record a video for her blog. In the video, she talks about all the specifics of her solo sailing trip, and all she needs to do.

Much later, she calls Ben, and after talking about her alarms being on, she asks if he ever got lonely, during the times he went on his solo sailing quest. Ben says it’s normal to feel lonely, after which he tells her she can sing to get over it. 

Meanwhile, Jessica’s family watches the news, where it is reported that Jessica is on course to pass her first major milestone, which is crossing the equator.

Atherton also speaks and says that the first milestone is not really a challenge, as she still has to worry about the Indian and Southern Oceans, which have posed major problems to more experienced sailors. 

Back in the ocean, Jessica records a video of herself, just as she crosses the equator with so much excitement. 

However, things are about to get challenging for Jessica the next day, when she sees a red sky that indicates a huge storm coming her way. She immediately calls Ben and says she’s thinking of changing course.

But Ben tells her she can weather the storm, and use a device called the drogue to slow down her boat to avoid any serious damage. 

Roger doesn’t agree with this, but both Ben and Jessica convince him that it’s the best option since she can’t outrun the storm. Julie also tells Roger she trusts Ben, because he knows his stuff.

After ending the call, Jessica sets out to launch the drogue, so her boat can be stable during the storm. As she’s doing it, the storm hits, and a massive wind almost blows her off the boat, but she’s able to hold on to a rope to avoid falling. She gets back up and finally launches the drogue, after which she goes back into the cabin.

With the boat still unstable, Jessica is unable to strap herself to the bed, just before a metal object knocks her out. 

When she wakes up, she calls her parents and tells them that she got knocked out, though she’s fine. This sends her parents into panic mode, as they start asking questions to be sure she’s okay.

Jessica says nothing is wrong with her, and requests to speak to Ben. When Ben takes the phone, he warns her that she needs to be more careful, and she says she will. 

In the morning, Atherton approaches Ben to ask if Jessica is okay. Before Ben can answer, Hannah informs the reporters that the family won’t be taking any questions, but they can follow Jessica’s blog.

Atherton immediately goes to check it, and sees all the videos that Jessica has recorded so far. 

Days later, Jessica spends Christmas on the boat, but she’s able to talk to her family, who make sure she’s not left out.

On Day 113 of her journey, Jessica gets to the Southern Atlantic Ocean, where she’s unable to move any further due to the absence of winds. She starts to get really frustrated, and even ignores calls from her parents and Ben. 

After five days of no movement, she finally calls Ben, who tells her he’s been trying to reach her, because she has been going backward for hours.

Jessica says she didn’t know because she was sleeping, and Ben cannot believe she failed to turn the alarms on again. He tells her that she’s being irresponsible and things like that could get her killed.

Jessica responds angrily, and brings up the crew member that Ben lost during one of his sailing voyages. Ben doesn’t like this, so he packs up all his things, and tells Jessica’s parents that he’ll be monitoring her from inside his boat. 

Jessica soon has a moment to rethink her actions, and in her next video, she starts crying and talking about how frustrated she is.

Shortly after, Julie calls her, and this time, she picks up the phone. Jessica explains that being stuck without moving has made her feel alone. Julie encourages Jessica to keep carrying on, and tells her she’s always thinking about her. 

The next morning, she records another video about how she’s often terrified, even though many people believe she’s fearless, because of her decision to follow her dream. She says she has now realized she can be strong and still struggle. She also talks about how living her dream is hard, though she believes it’s worth it.

Her speech is so motivational that it almost moves Atherton to tears, as he watches it on her blog. Her family also watches the recording together, while Ben watches it alone and hears her say she misses him.

The next day, the wind starts to blow again, and Jessica is happy as she finally leaves the spot she has been in for days. As she also starts enjoying herself, she waves to an airplane that flies over the ocean. The people in the plane take her picture, and it goes viral, with different news outlets now reporting positively about her record attempt. 

On day 186 of her trip, Jessica notices a crack in her cabin, but she’s able to fix it.

Days later, when Jessica is talking to Emily, she notices something very strange, and immediately asks that the phone be given to Julie.

Jessica tells her mom that dangerous storms are headed her way, and it’s looking really bad. As this seems scary, Julie tells Jessica to consider stopping by a nearby port, so she can be safe. 

Since this will disqualify her, as she’s not supposed to stop or leave the ocean until she reaches the finish line, Jessica says she doesn’t want to quit yet. Even though Julie believes such a huge storm leaves her with no option, Jessica believes there might be a way.

News outlets start reporting about Jessica’s latest challenge, with the question of whether she’ll continue or pull into a nearby port.

Julie and Emily advise Jessica that her safety is more important and she shouldn’t see it as quitting, because experienced sailors would pull into the ports at that point. Emily also tells Jessica that people around the world now love and see her as an inspiration. 

She tells Jessica to check the blog to see some of the comments, and as Jessica does this, she sees videos from people around the world sending her messages, to wish her the best. After watching the videos, she looks at her map to find the best way to overcome the storm. 

Ben returns to the house, after seeing the extent of the storm coming toward Jessica. When Jessica calls again, she’s happy to hear that Ben is back, and they both apologize to each other for what happened.

Jessica then starts talking about her plan to go through the storm. She also plans to do it without using the drogue, as she believes the boat shouldn’t be slowed down in such a wind. 

Ben doesn’t agree with everything she says, and her parents also think it’s unsafe for her to continue. However, they agree to let her make the final decision, and she chooses to continue. Hannah then goes outside to inform the reporters of Jessica’s decision, and even Atherton looks worried. 

Much later, Jessica gets strapped in as the storm hits. She also calls her parents to keep her distracted, and while they struggle with what to say, Ben tells Jessica that if she passes the storm, he’ll sail over to meet her, when she’s closer to the finish line. Jessica sounds happy to hear this, and she feels better. However, a massive wave hits and knocks her boat deep under the ocean. 

The whole family is shocked, when they suddenly don’t hear from Jessica again. Shortly after, their worries get worse when they get a call from the Coast Guard informing them that Jessica’s boat is 15 feet underwater.

After hearing this, Julie tries to call Jessica’s phone, but she’s unable to reach it. Roger then tries to get everyone to remain calm, by saying it’s likely that the phone cannot receive a signal underwater. Tom doesn’t seem to take this well, and he starts crying after more failed attempts to reach Jessica. Roger is able to console him, and also Julie, when she starts crying. 

Meanwhile, Jessica’s boat is able to make its way back to the top, and she also happens to be okay. As her whole family seems to be really worried and hoping for a miracle, Jessica calls to inform them that she made it.

They’re all happy to hear this, and Ben is also proud, as he sees that she made it. Shortly after, Hannah goes out to inform the reporters that Jessica has made it through the storm, and is on her way to the finish line. All the reporters, including Atherton, jump with joy after hearing this.

On the day of her return, Jessica’s family and 80,000 people await her, in what is to be a mega celebration for the country’s new hero.

As Jessica gets closer to the finish line after 210 days on her quest, Ben fulfills his promise and waves to Jessica as he sails next to her.

Not long after, Jessica crosses the line, prompting loud cheers from the crowd. She reaches the docks and gets off her boat to meet her family, who are all happy to see her. 

From there, Jessica is taken to the hall where the prime minister gives a speech, and calls her a national hero.

However, when Jessica gives her speech, she says she doesn’t see herself as a hero. 

Jessica says she’s only a young girl who had a dream and went for it. 

After her speech, she smiles as the crowd applauds her for a wonderful feat.

True Spirit.