For hotshot Curtis Browning, battling forest fires and attending the University of California at Santa Barbara is a balance between two worlds- one of roaring orange flames, caustic smoke, the clamor of chainsaws and curse words, the other- life in an idyllic college town on the Pacific Ocean with all the promise and excitement of youth at the cusp of adulthood. After the grandmother who raised him passes away, except for the camaraderie and loyalty of his roommates and the rough young men on the hotshot crew, Curtis is alone in the world. Struggling to find deeper meaning, he focuses on living in the moment and the divine beauty of nature. With summer here, Curtis takes a break from studying and navigates between raging wildfires and the alluring Sirens' call of parties, surfing and enjoying the atmosphere of beatiful undergrads. Everything changes when a bewitching young woman from Ventura drops into his life. Searching for the romantic ideal just became a little more complicated.