Sopernitsy (aka The Rivals) is about coaching a winner. Two young ladies are competing in a canoe race. The more experienced girl always wins every competition. But the ladies are not just competitors in sport but are also competitors for the attention of the handsome young coach Aleksandr (Demich), who shows no preferences for either of them. The experienced coach Semenich (Shelokhonov) still believes in the potential of the weaker girl Natalia (Guzeyeva). Motivated by her new friend Sergei (Shtefanko), Natalia switches to windsurfing and wins a competition. Inspired, she goes back to the canoe and makes spectacular progress. After arduous trainings, she wins the canoe competition and also the respect of her rival and the coaches