Growing up in the small town of Sutter's Bend on the Oregon coast, Alec Morrissey and Jenny Chen have known each other all their lives, but they first really notice each other a week after graduation when Alec wanders out of a noisy party and finds Jenny sitting on the porch steps alone, depressed about the future. All her life she has wanted to be a scientist, but suddenly her parents say they can't afford college and she sees her lifelong dream slipping away. Alec, on the other hand, doesn't know what he wants to do, but he knows he doesn't want to study premed, as his parents have planned.

On impulse Alec takes Jenny to a secluded spot on the coast where he sometimes goes when he wants to be alone with his thoughts. As waves pound against the nearby rocks, they share a kiss that sparks feelings neither was expecting.

But odds are against their budding romance since Alec's parents won't approve of Jenny and Jenny's parents expect her to marry her longtime boyfriend. Meanwhile, Jenny's parents are harboring a secret that will change everything, and Alec's world is about to fall apart. As the two teens struggle to overcome the obstacles that stand in their way, their feelings for each other grow. But caught up in their problems, they fail to recognize a far more dangerous threat when a troubled young woman enters their lives who will put all they care about at risk.