Mitch, Alex, April, Jessie, Cody and Jake Barnes from Zuma Beach is participating in a big rescue. A car has ended up in Bologna Creek. When the driver has been brought back to safety, Mitch notices that Jake is missing. Jake is trapped under a fallen tree. Mitch finds him and rescues him. Later at headquarters while they are in the shower, Jake's ex-wife's boyfriend, Eric Barnett, stops by. He tells Jake that his ex-wife Clare is dead and that he has a son named Terry. Jake didn't even know that Terry existed.
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.