As a skater who 'gleams the cube' Brian Kelly is the best. Skateboarding means everything to him until the terrible death of his adopted brother, Vinh, shakes up his life. The police are convinced that it is suicide, but Brian is sure that his brother was murdered and sets out to investigate with the unlikely help of a transplanted East Coast cop, who quickly sizes up Brian and his skating buddies. He surprises them, especially Brian, with his direct and streetwise style and their relationship grows from frustrated antagonism to mutual respect. As it becomes clear that his brother was killed because he discovered that the shop where he worked was secretly sending weapons to Vietnam, Brian becomes the next target and leaves his adolescence behind as he ends up skateboarding for his life.