On 20 June 1959, Mike Tognetti and his parents, Angelo and Pat, fly to Honolulu, Hawaii, for summer vacation. Upon landing, the family is chauffeured to a garish motel and Mike heads to the beach. Meanwhile, Kenzo Konishi and his parents arrive in Honolulu from Kyoto, Japan, and they drive to the home of their relatives, the Tanakas. Elsewhere, Chuck Granville steps off a cruise ship, sees a Hawaiian woman, Lani, and kisses her as she places a strand of flowers around his neck. His sister, Amanda, pulls him away to join their parents. That afternoon at the beach, Chuck befriends Mike, and they go flirt with some girls. By sundown, Mike and Chuck see a bonfire and meet a group of locals including Jerry, who introduces them to his brother, Kilarney. The next day, Jerry gives the boys surf lessons, but Chuck becomes frustrated and swims back to shore. Nearby, Kenzo learns to surf with his cousin, Scott Tanaka, and crashes into Mike. After apologizing, the boys join forces in their lessons. Sometime later, Kenzo meets his father, Yukinaga Konishi, to practice the Japanese swordsmanship, kendo. Three weeks later, on 9 July 1959, Mike’s father, Angelo, makes derogatory comments about Mike’s new friends, and the boy points out that his Italian grandparents were also victims of prejudicial sterotypes. As Angelo yells at his son for being disrespectful, Mike joins his friends surfing. Elsewhere, Lani’s brother, Kimo, complains that tourists are ruining Hawaii, and she accuses him of bigotry. Back at the beach, Jerry and Kilarney invite Chuck and Mike to dive for coins thrown by cruise ship passengers, but when they meet up with Kimo, he is upset by the inclusion of the mainlanders. As they swim to gather coins, Chuck sees Lani and reveals that he kissed her, inadvertently prompting Kimo to punch him. Jerry explains that Lani is Kimo’s sister. Later that evening, Mike arrives at Chuck’s hotel and they become intoxicated before attending a dance. Meanwhile, cousins Scott and Kenzo get ready for the dance, and Kenzo shows off his father’s two ceremonial swords, explaining that one of the swords will be his when he proves himself worthy. Elsewhere, at a bar, Kilarney comments on a pretty woman, and a naval sailor warns him not to pursue white girls. In response, Kilarney punches him, and a fight ensues. Later, at the dance, Chuck drunkenly introduces Mike to his sister, Amanda, but she rejects his flirtations. Dejected, Mike goes outside, followed by Chuck, Kenzo, Scott, and Jerry. There, Kilarney limps towards his friends and tells them about his fight. When Jerry decides to retaliate, Chuck warns them they will be arrested, and Kenzo refuses to fight without honor. However, Mike, Kilarney, Kimo, and Jerry arrive at a park one hour later to confront a group of sailors. During the brawl, Chuck, Kenzo, and Scott join in, despite their previous reservations, and the sailors run away defeated. On 2 August 1959, as the summer holiday continues, Mike and Chuck’s families attend a formal dance. When Chuck’s father, Burton, notices the arrival of Scott and Kenzo’s families, he complains that the Japanese are taking over Hawaii. Disregarding his father’s bigotry, Chuck instructs the servers to have the Tanakas and Konishis join their table. Later that evening, Amanda tells Mike that she would like him better if he didn’t act like her brother Chuck. When he agrees, they dance and kiss. Later, Lani performs a hula dance and afterward Chuck places a lei around her neck, and they kiss. The next day, Kenzo brings Mike to kendo practice. When Mr. Konishi challenges Mike to a duel, he repeatedly knocks the boy down and Kenzo becomes upset by his father’s dishonorable treatment of Mike. That night, the six friends drive along Hotel Street, passing seedy bars and clubs. After buying beer and pulling away from the curb, they stop short of a naval sailor, who recognizes Mike from the fight in the park. As they attempt to drive away, the car brakes in front of a large man who rips off the front bumper. Meanwhile, the sailor recruits friends to attack the car, causing the boys to be arrested. Early the next morning, at the police station, the fathers of Mike, Chuck, and Scott pay bail, but Mr. Konishi leaves the police station immediately, disgusted by Kenzo’s behavior. Later that day at kendo practice, Mr. Konishi unsheathes his ceremonial sword, and orders Kenzo to use the second sword in a duel, and wins, telling Kenzo he is not a worthy son. At Kilarney’s wedding reception on 21 August 1959, Kimo sees Lani and Chuck holding hands, and orders her to stay away from the tourist. Jerry explains that Kimo dislikes U.S. mainlanders because his mother had an affair with a visiting actor. In response, his father murdered both Kimo’s mother and the man, and then committed suicide. By nightfall, Lani returns to the wedding reception and leads Chuck away to her favorite place on the island. The following morning, Kimo searches for his sister Lani and threatens Chuck with a gun. However, Lani stands between the two men, announcing that she loves Chuck. When Kimo declares that his sister is a prostitute like their mother, a fight between the two men ensues and they fall into Kimo’s open convertible. As the vehicle rolls toward a cliff, Chuck jumps to safety, but Kimo is killed. After Kimo’s funeral, Lani tells Chuck she will follow her brother’s wishes, and never see him again. A few days later, a hurricane makes landfall and creates enormous waves. Excited, the six friends surf in the dangerous conditions. However, Mike notices Kenzo missing, dives underwater, and pulls the boy safely to the beach. At the end of the summer, on 8 September 1959, Mike and his parents prepare to fly home and Jerry goes with them to attend college. At the airfield, Chuck and Amanda, as well as their parents and Scott and Kenzo, bid their friends farewell. Just then, Lani arrives to restore her relationship with Chuck, and he introduces her to his parents as his fiancée. Meanwhile, Mr. Konishi greets Kenzo at the airfield, asks for forgiveness, and presents him with one of the ceremonial swords. He then gives the second sword to Mike, thanking him for saving his son’s life.