Ben Campbell (Jim Sturgess) has amazing talent. As a top student at MIT, he has impeccable academic performance and he has won the admission letter from Harvard Medical School without any surprise. However, the high tuition and living expenses of 300,000 have made his college dream shaky. In the interview for the scholarship, the professor told him that the winner must have extraordinary experience rather than a blank slate like Ben. Ben works in a clothing store and earns $8 per hour. At the same time, he and two friends are preparing for the competition 2.09 in order to gain recognition and bonuses. In the math class, Ben's genius mind was discovered by Professor Mickey Rosa (Kevin Spacey). Mickey hopes that Ben will join his 21 algorithm team and go to the casino to win big money by counting cards. Ben disagrees, but when Jill Taylor (Kate Bosworth), the girl Ben has always had a crush on, also tempts him, Ben begins to waver. Ben began a rigorous training, and his success made him taste the power of money, vanity, and desire. At the same time, he began to alienate his old friends and gradually lost himself in the whirlpool of the casino.