A helicopter rescue onboard a tanker in rough Alaskan seas; a race to reach a victim who fell off a 200-foot cliff; a rescue endeavor after a bush-plane crash a few miles from base.

The series opener examines life for Coast Guard men and women at Air Station Kodiak, where they police the area, perform rescues, protect the environment and oversee safety of marine transportation.

Helicopter rescue crews encounter rough weather that threatens operations.

The captain races to the North Pole; two helicopter rescue crews go on a mission to save injured fishermen; an aerial search is launched for a missing person in the North Pacific.

At Station Ketchikan, a local man requires help from the boat crew; at Sitka, a helicopter-rescue team battles powerful winds to get to a vessel in trouble; back in Kodiak, there's an unknown distress call in the middle of the night. Meanwhile, a young AST struggles to make the grade.

The team races to Sitka, where a hunter's been shot in the back; two men in Kodiak abandon a sinking boat; guardsmen load a sleigh with holiday cheer and visit remote Alaskan villages.

Rough seas are battled to reach a small boat; a surfer who sought shelter from the waves must be hoisted off a 200-foot cliff.