When Ryan Atwood, a tough, guarded, fiercely intelligent 16-year-old plunges headlong into the wealthy community of Newport Beach, he soon discovers that the ruling families of Orange County are every bit as territorial as the tough crowd with which he ran on the streets of Chino. For Sandy Cohen, the idealistic public defender who takes Ryan in; his wife Kirsten, the linchpin of O.C. society; their awkward adolescent son, Seth; and the beautiful...

For Rayna James and Deacon Claybourne, the road to intimacy is rocky as ever. Devastated by his sister's death, jealous of Rayna's focus on a sexy recording artist and unsettled in his new role as Maddie's father, Deacon lashes out, forcing Rayna to make some agonizing choices. And, despite having a new baby and a hit movie, Juliette Barnes is spiraling downward in a haze of partying, drugs and booze after her split from Avery.