High-resolution spectroscopic observations of AW UMa, obtained on three consecutive nights with a median time resolution of 2.1 minutes, have been analyzed using the broadening function method in the spectral window of 22.75 nm around the 518 nm Mg I triplet region. Doppler images of the system reveal the presence of vigorous mass motions within the binary system; their presence puts into question the solid-body rotation assumption of the contact binary model. AW UMa appears to be a very tight, semi-detached binary; the mass transfer takes place from the more massive to the less massive component. It should be studied why photometry and spectroscopy give such discrepant results and whether AW UMa is an unusual object or if only very high-quality spectroscopy can reveal the true nature of W UMa-type binaries.