The new year brings new arrivals to Emerald Bay,, with new families bringing new people into the three friends' lives. One is a shy girl, who's lost all hope but caries an extraordinary untapped potential and the other is a mysterious girl wise beyond her years who holds dark secrets.

As Evans' genius keeps him separated from his friends all too often, and Zack finds his popularity growing, Samantha finds herself having more and more trouble keeping the truth of their complex relationship a secret.

Meanwhile, a mysterious cult begins to exert its dark influence throughout the town, using both subtle and not so subtle methods of searching for candidates for some mysterious purpose.