The episode starts with Stephanie and Barnett rescuing a diver in trouble. Baywatch hosts the Special Olympics for the first time. The Olympics is held by Mitch's old friend and elite gymnast Mary Lou Retton, who won 5 gold medals in the 1984 Olympics. She asks Mitch to take care of a troubled kid named Darnel while Stephanie to take care of a girl named Sammy. Darnel's father abandoned him when he was a little kid, and Mary Lou has managed to track him down.
This long-running series follows the adventures of a team of lifeguards on the crowded beaches of Los Angeles County. Veteran lifeguard Mitch Buchannon watches over the younger lifeguards that come and go with each passing season as they keep the beaches safe for vacationers. Frequently he must take action to save them from the raging seas and from the raging tempers that sometimes flare up between the young guards in this stressful job.