The classic Twain story "The Prince and the Pauper" gets a modern slant when Prince Edward of Gelfland switches places with Southern California surfer Cash Canty. Both discover a new world of romance, danger, and adventure beyond their wildest dreams.

Justin McLeod is a former teacher who lives as a recluse on the edge of town after his face is disfigured from an automobile accident ten years earlier, in which a boy was incinerated--and for which he was convicted of involuntary manslaughter. Also suspected of being a paedophile, he is befriended by Chuck, causing the town's suspicions and hostility to be ignited.