Two of television's most successful producers, Emmy-Award winning Michael Braverman ("Chicago Hope" and "Life Goes On") and Doug Schwartz (the international smash "Baywatch"), together with Canadian producer Harold Thichenor ("The Crow") and a star of one of the decade's most enduring series, Joe Lando (Sully of "Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman"), bring their considerable creative forces to Higher Ground, a simmering mix of compelling drama, intense relationships and spectacular action as at-risk teens try to put their lives back together against the splendor of the Pacific Northwest.
Surrounded by towering pines and mountains, the rustic campus of Mt. Horizon High looks more like a secluded mountain resort than an intentionally-isolated "emotional growth" school. Here, classes take place under trees, and dorms and mess halls mirror a comfortable camp setting, while the wilderness hosts hiking, rappelling, canoeing, wind surfing, hang-gliding, and kayaking. Although the surroundings can bode well for replenishing the spirit, the staff faces daunting tasks, as they help students who have come here in crisis - from drug use, abuse, criminal records, and other traumas.
The headmaster and chief administrator of Mt. Horizon, Peter Scarbrow (Lando) working with the school's owner and founder, Frank Markasian (Jim Byrnes), has built it into one of the finest, most progressive schools of its kind. Amidst constantly brewing quandaries, Pete is intent that Horizon be a safe sanctuary where the teens can sort out feelings and get confidential help from counsellors. But for the students, there's no free ride. Everyone shares in the chores and abides by the rules: no drugs, no sex and no violence.
A recovering addict himself, Pete has spiralled downward into an abyss of cocaine and heroin abuse after his high-flying exploits as one of Wall Street's young hotshots pushes him to extremes. His life spun out of control and finally, his unhappy marriage broke up and his sizable bank account disappeared. Arriving at Mt. Horizon five years ago, he now tirelessly dedicates himself to guide teens to re-build their lives and give them hope ... like Frank once gave him.
His colleagues, fresh-scrubbed Hannah Bauer-Barnes (Deborah Odell) and high energy Sophie Becker (Anne Marie Loder) help Peter keep the kids under control and the school up and running. Dogged by a crumbling marriage, Hannah runs the school's "Quest" outward-bound program taking kids on treks, influencing them to bond and - in the physically-challenging assignments she doles out -- gives them powerful lessons in self-reliance. Hannah's calmness and maternal instincts are contrasted by Sophie's dare-devil nature and love for living life on the edge. Sophie and Peter share a passion for extreme sports and as they share experiences, their camaraderie may soon blossom beyond friendship.
Pete, Hannah and Sophie's teen charges include handsome, athletically-built Scott Barringer (Hayden Christensen), the school's newest student, who mysteriously traded in a promising football career for drugs and petty theft -- and harbors a painful secret; the seductive Shelby Merrick (A. J. Cook), a former street kid who found her biological father but soon realized he couldn't handle her; Juliette Waybourne (Meghan Ory), a bullimic beauty queen whose phalanx of stepfathers and half-siblings eroded her self-confidence and left her craving attention; the gentle, well-meaning Ezra Friedkin (Kyle Downes), a pawn in his parents' acrimonious divorce, whose ultra-sensitivity foced him to turn to ketamine; Katherine Anne Cabot (Kandyse McClure), an African-American with adoptive white parents who lapsed into depression when she began feeling caught between two worlds; and Auggie Ciceros (Jorge Vargas), a survivor on the fringe of gang life who had a choice between Horizon or juvie lockup, and has never had the chance to demonstrate his supreme intelligence or artistry ... until, hopefully, now. With Peter and Sophie determined to help them unleash their feelings, the teens will test each other, battle their inner demons, and, finally, make strides to overcome their internal strife and change their ways for a better future.
In the seaside village of Agnes, some 25 miles away, Pete occasionally receives moral support from his best friend, the earnest town sheriff Curtis Swann (Sean Campbell), and Ginger Yao (Benita Ha) the enigmatic manager of Agnes' Rusty's Grill & Bar.
Emboldened by Sophie, his students and his friends in Agnes, Pete's new life is rewarded at Mt. Horizon with a loving "family" -- which he feels he never had growing up. But while the students provide Pete with enough tribulations, he also experiences a steady stream of his own. For instance, he's just learned that Mt. Horizon is threatened with foreclosure. And to save the school, he must re-visit his troubled past, which means drawing on his former, chaotic career and -- once and for all -- confronting his previous, unhealthy relationships.
