When eighteen-year-old Sammy sees a posting for a summer job as a beach lifeguard, she thinks all her problems will immediately wash out to sea. But stepping away from her old life isn't easy. After all, no one gets a fresh start just by wishing for it.

Thinking she'll breeze through the swim test, Sammy is at a loss when she fails. Her father offers to train her, however, and as she practices her strokes, she also strengthens her determination to change her life.

Soon she enters the "secret society" of lifeguards and sets off on the ultimate summer adventure of...

Like his father before him, Alex is an impressive runner and track star. His strength, speed, and determination make him an Olympic hopeful.

Then violence puts his life on an entirely different path.

Mistaken for someone else, Alex is badly beaten by a drug lord's goons. Traumatized by the event, the young man loses all interest in running. So when a military recruiter offers a chance to escape his neighborhood, he willingly enlists.

Alex proves a strong, competent soldier during basic training. Although he keeps to himself, he makes a friend in Dreto, a man struggling...