Bethany (Anna Sophia Robb) and her Christian family live in Hawaii, and all are surf enthusiasts. Bethany joins professional competitions along with her best friend Alana, and both have good standings and receive a Rip Curl sponsorship. One day, she surfs with Alana and her family, and her left arm gets attacked by a shark. She is bit near the shoulder and has lost a lot of blood. The ambulance rushes to the hospital, where coincidentally, Bethany's dad is awaiting knee surgery. His doctor attends to Sophia as the family anxiously awaits the prognosis. Bethany is ok, only her arm is reduced to a stump. She becomes depressed since she can't surf anymore. Her family is also hounded by the media, and is offered a prosthetic arm by Inside Edition, only for her to reject it in the end since it won't help her surf. She is lost for awhile, but finds comfort in her family and her church counselor Sarah. After resolving her feelings, she is determined to surf again. She struggles and is frustrated at a competition. She then goes on a church mission to Thailand to help the victims of the 2004 tsunami and realizes that there are bigger problems than hers. She is inspired and goes home renewed. She joins a major competition, and though she doesn't win, her courageous stunt of taking a big wave while the others looked on won her the respect of the public. Now, Bethany is an ambassador for amputees and appears all over to motivate both kids and adults to always pursue their dreams.
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Best part of story, including ending:
It is an inspiring story of strength in the midst of adversity, seen from the eyes of a teen.
Best scene in story:
When Bethany goes to Thailand and teaches the little boys to surf.
Opinion about the main character:
She was affected by her disability but she was very positive for the most part, which is very admirable.
