Fast Hands begins when a youthful adventure goes awry. It turns out that there are serious consequences for breaking into large yachts. When a Seattle judge gives 16-year-old Gus Pedersen an unwelcome choice between spending time in a juvenile facility and fishing with his uncle in Alaska, Gus heads north.
 However, after only two days on his uncle's boat, Gus is already thinking about jumping ship. Gus drives himself crazy wondering what could have saved him from being sent to Alaska to fish with three old Norwegians who think a 19-hour workday is normal?
Fishing on the fringe of civilization begins to change Gus, forcing him to grow up fast. He realizes that if anything had gone differently, he never would have met Claire, who is running from troubles of her own.