A Doctorate in Philosophy. A Flair for the Con. And a Mare named Lady Pasta.
Declan Shaw, an Australian professor with a checkered past and a sharp intellect, views Korean horse racing as the "last unregulated financial instrument in Korea". Driven by mounting gambling debts, he orchestrates a brilliant, cynical scheme: turning the clumsy, unremarkable mare, Lady Pasta, into the ultimate longshot.
His plan, "the philosophy of losing", involves engineering a series of consistent defeats to drive her odds to an astronomical 60-to-1. Aided by Liam O'Connell, "The Chemist", who provides an undetectable performance enhancer, Declan successfully creates the "beautiful, fraudulent chaos" of an improbable win in the infamous Kimchee Cup.