The episode starts with someone rescuing a surfer in trouble. When the rescue has been completed, the phantom lifeguard is nowhere to be seen. A minute later, JD arrives in a lifeguard truck and he is able to see tracks in the sand showing clearly that someone else made the rescue. He tells Cody, Sheryl and Bridget about the incident. Later during a roll call, Mitch is surprised to find out that Alex has hired a new maintenance person, a girl named Jessie Owens. Everyone likes her at first, especially Cody and JD. While Cody and JD are on patrol, they are surprised to see Jessie jumping off a pier. They are convinced that she is trying to commit suicide. But they soon figure out that Jessie wants to become a stuntwoman. Jumping off the pier was just one of many tricks she has been working on. It turns out that Jessie is the phantom lifeguard when she rescues a little girl named Beth and then disappears mysteriously once again. It does not take very long until everyone finds out that Jessie turns out to be a bad maintenance person. Alex has no choice but to fire her. While Alex is talking to Jessie, she notices scars on her arm. Beth, the little girl Jessie rescued, had the same kind of scars. Later Jessie rescues Sean. When two of Sean's future fraternity pals bury him up to his neck, he starts sinking into a sinkhole. Mitch, Alex, JD and Cody assist Jessie during the rescue. When everyone has seen for themselves what a great lifeguard Jessie is, she gets the opportunity to join rookie school that is supposed to start next week. One day, Alex approaches Mitch and tells him that she wants to come out from behind her desk. Mitch knows that she is a lifeguard and a certified paramedic, but still he lets her stay at headquarters.

Ed Symes returns (8.18 "Quarantine") and offers Mitch some free medical supplies if he lets him ride in the call car with him. Alex comes along and Ed bothers her all the time. When Sheryl calls them from her tower about a man with a possible heart attack, they drive to her tower. It turns out, however, the man just has cramps from a too-vigorous workout. Ed who wants to be a hero, rushes towards them with the defibrillator. Trying to save the jogger, Mitch is shocked instead. To get even with Ed, he and Alex ask him to demonstrate a sling/stretcher victim. When Ed is completely tied up and helpless, Mitch and Alex leave him on the beach.

When Mitch and Hobie are walking down the beach after a tough day, they notice a strange smell in a tunnel. When they have entered the tunnel, Mitch immediately recognizes the smell. Some workers have accidentally damaged a gas line. One of the workers drops his cigarette into the tunnel and Mitch and Hobie have to run out before it explodes. Later in the marina, Hobie meets his friends Brad, Josie and Randy. Because they are in no condition to drive, Hobie drives Brad's dad's boat. While they are driving, Josie pulls the throttle to full speed. Hobie loses control and it is just a matter of time before the boat turns over. Hobie manages to rescue everyone with the help of Jessie and April Josie ends up in a coma and Brad tells Josie's father that Hobie caused the accident. Hobie ends up in prison due to reckless driving. His bail is set at $ 300 000. Mitch pays his bail using the deed to his house along with April's money as collateral. When Hobie meets Josie's father at the hospital, he threatens to sue Hobie. The next day, Mitch has to give Hobie the bad news that he is temporarily off the lifeguard roster. Hobie leaves upset and feels like everyone has abandoned him. Mitch takes Hobie to the hospital to meet Josie who has come out of her coma. Josie tells her father the truth that she pulled the throttle. After finding out about the truth, Josie's father apologizes to Hobie.

Meanwhile, Jessie is a little scared about taking tower responsibility. She is afraid she is going to lose someone just like April did (9.6 "Drop Zone"). When she is in her tower, Jessie has a terrible nightmare that she is guarding the beach and then everyone starts drowning and calling to her. Later the same day when she and April are supposed to pick up a ghost net, they are forced to make a rescue instead when a diver has been caught in the net. But Jessie is frozen with fear. After the rescue has been completed, Jessie announces that she is going to quit Baywatch. But Mitch talks her out of it and she decides to stay.