Young Woman and the Sea

In 1914, young Trudy Ederle, while suffering from measles, witnesses a catastrophic ferry accident in New York City. The incident results in countless lives lost, particularly affecting women who were unable to swim, leaving a lasting impact on Trudy and her family.

Following the disaster, Trudy's mother, Gertrude, becomes determined that her children should learn to swim. She ensures that Trudy's siblings, Meg and Henry Jr., have swimming lessons, while initially banning Trudy from the water due to her illness.

After recovering from measles, Trudy develops a fascination with swimming. At the age of 12, she convinces her strict father, Henry, to allow her to swim, marking the beginning of her journey in the sport.

Trudy and her siblings join the Women's Swimming Association, where they are taught by the determined coach Charlotte Epstein. Despite initially being overlooked in favor of Meg, Trudy accepts training, quickly showing remarkable progress.

In 1924, the Ederles are approached by the American Olympic Union regarding the Paris Olympics. Trudy is the only one offered a spot, while the team is coached by Jabez Wolffe, who struggles to provide effective training.

During the Paris Olympics, Trudy competes under Wolffe's coaching but only wins bronze medals in both the 100 meter and 400 meter freestyle events. She returns home feeling disheartened, especially after learning about Meg's engagement.

After meeting champion swimmer Bill Burgess, who successfully crossed the English Channel, Trudy becomes re-energized and decides to attempt the crossing herself. With Epstein's support, she seeks sponsorship for the ambitious endeavor.

To secure sponsorship from James Sullivan of the AOU, Trudy must swim from New York to New Jersey within a challenging three-hour time limit. She succeeds, gaining the needed support but is forced to work with Wolffe as her coach.

In France, Trudy trains at Cap Gris-Nez, where she also befriends fellow swimmer Benji. Tensions arise as Wolffe tries to dominate her training, leading to a clash between Trudy's determination and his oppressive methods.

On July 10, 1926, Trudy makes her first attempt to swim across the English Channel. Under Wolffe's guidance, she starts strong, but he sabotages her with spiked tea, causing her to abandon the attempt.

While recovering, Trudy is visited by her family, but they are intercepted by Bill Burgess, who offers to coach her following his realization of Wolffe's deceit. This motivates Trudy to prepare for another attempt at crossing.

Determined to succeed, Trudy secretly plans her return attempt at the Channel and makes Burgess promise not to rescue her if she fails. Meanwhile, Sullivan gets wind of her preparations and brings media attention to the event.

On August 6, 1926, Trudy embarks on her second attempt to swim the Channel, this time with Burgess and her family supporting her. The event garners significant media coverage as her progress is closely followed around the world.

As Trudy approaches the daunting Goodwin Sands, she faces her biggest challenge yet. Choosing to swim alone in shallow waters rather than accept defeat, she relies on beacons set up by townspeople to guide her to safety.

Trudy successfully completes her historic swim, setting a new world record. Upon returning to New York, she is honored with a ticker-tape parade, where she shares the joy of her achievement with her family and acknowledges her coach Epstein.