When Ryan Atwood, a tough, guarded, fiercely intelligent 16-year-old, plunges headlong into the wealthy, privileged community of Newport Beach, California, 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, troubled girl next door, Marissa Cooper — Ryan's presence will forever change their lives.