The film is set in the 1970s and tell the true story of a group of teenage surfers in California who created a new style of skateboarding. Jay Adams (Emile Hirsch), Stacy Peralta (John Robinson) and Tony Alva (Victor Rasuk) loved to surf, but soon took their wave-riding moves to the concrete, practising in empty pools. Their new style is noticed by Skip Engblom (Heath Ledger) and they soon go on a road show, dubbed as the Z-Boys, acheiving instant fame.