Mark Thompson (played by Roy Newton) leaves Los Angeles and moves with his mother to the Big Island and befriends three "locals", Ronnie (Lorenzo Callendar), Zulu (Kalani) and Keao (Daryl Bonilla).

The three lead characters were also inspired by Cunningham's real life high school friends, as seen in the ending credits.

[2] After a few screenings in L.A., Cunningham shot some additional footage, including scenes involving Mark's father and his friends in L.A.

According to Variety, while the acting by the lead Newton in the film needed work (his three co-stars were praised), it was visually stunning and had an excellent soundtrack.

Cunningham announced he was in the process of writing the script for Beyond Paradise 2,[4] that would feature many of the original cast.