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.

This saga chronicles a nation divided and two families,the Hazards of Pennsylvania and the Mains of South Carolina,caught on opposite sides when the Civil War erupts in May 1861. As war is raged on one battlefield after another, lives on the home front drastically change. The hatred, prejudice and greed that tear the fabric of a nation, also threatens the very foundation of love and friendship between these two families.