When a hothead detective is forced to work undercover as a lifeguard at a holiday resort to investigate possible human trafficking, he needs to re-evaluate his measures for friend and foe in order to save human lives as well as his career. 

SYNOPSIS:

Jason Schwartz, short-shit hothead adrenalin junkie detective injures his shoulder while chasing a teenager suspect through inner-city Pretoria, much to the frustration of his female colleague and human trafficking specialist, Sarah-Lee Davidz. Shortly hereafter, both of them are presented with the opportunity for promotion, depending on who solves their next case first. Colonel Mbatha, the no-nonsense head of the police station, assigns Jason a murder investigation at a popular holiday resort at the South Coast, but Jason refuses when he learns which place he has to go to exactly. However, after a night of heavy partying, Jason hits a teenager with his car and Mbatha forces him to accept the assignment, in return for the possible overturning of the hit-and-run charges against him.

Jason arrives at Iphilo Holiday Resort and meets the overbearing, vape-smoking manager, Ricardo Mulherengo. Mulherengo suggests that Jason works as a lifeguard, as he prefers to have limited police presence at the resort in order not to upset the holiday goers unnecessarily. Jason is assigned a chalet with which he has an uncomfortable connection.

Jason meets Mikey, a happy-go-lucky lifeguard who trains him to operate the inflatable rescue boat (IRB) or “rubberduck” called Umsindisi. Jason quickly takes to his job as lifeguard. On the beach his paths cross with various teenagers, among them the friendly rugby player Franco and his gorgeous girlfriend Jackie. Jason’s injured shoulder and his intense dislike of teenagers complicates their meeting initially.

After a storm causes a fallen tree to block the entrance to the resort and another girl disappears on the same night, chaos breaks loose at the resort, with holiday goers demanding action and answers. Jason’s inquiries with Mulherengo and Mikey lead to much suspicion, especially when he picks up a discrepancy with the rubberduck’s lock-up key.

Jason utilizes the help of Franco and his buddies as “watchmen” and tries to work on his investigation while his shoulder starts to act up more and more. When Jason’s effort to save Jackie from a rip current goes awry, Franco comes to their rescue, and he invites Jason and Mikey to the beach bar. Jason accepts the invitation, committed to follow a new approach in order to solve the case.

When yet another girl disappears and both Mulherengo and Mikey gives Jason a cold shoulder, he intensifies his investigation and calls in Sarah-Lee’s help. With holidaymakers who cleared the path now causing a mass exodus, the resort empties rather quickly. As Franco helps Jason, whose shoulder is worsening by the day, to store the rubberduck, Jackie is abducted, unbeknownst to them.

After Sarah-Lee arrives at the resort and Jason brings her up to speed, a lead after Mikey ends in a brawl and altercation between the two of them, causing Franco to jump to the wrong conclusion and Jason being ousted as an undercover cop and blamed as the culprit behind the disappearances. Jason reveals the real reason for his reluctance to be at Iphilo to Sarah-Lee: this was the place where he saw his own father die when he was a boy, with a young Mulherengo who bullied him and refused to help him back then. However, his new friendships with the teens now compel him to see this through.

Jason is approached by the real culprit, Mulherengo, and coaxed into possibly joining him in handing Jackie over to the traffickers. After Mikey comes clean to Sarah-Lee about his own involvement, Jason uses both theirs and Franco’s help to get to Mulherengo and the rubberduck and rescue Jackie before it is too late. However, despite mustering all his skills and strength, Jason still ends up needing the help of all his new friends in order to save the day. A changed man, Jason returns to the city to aid Sarah-Lee in the fight against human trafficking.

LIFESAVER