Mitch Buchannon, Hobie, Eddie and Shauni travel to northern California's rugged gold country, with C.J. as their guide, to investigate the death of Mitch's prospector uncle where they find an old treasure map leading to a valuable gold nugget along a rough river. Back at Baywatch, two new recruits show up for rookie training season who are the wealthy and spoiled teen Matt Brody, and lower class swim champion Summer Quinn who moves to California with her divorced single mother looking to escape from an abusive past.