On the south coast of Devon, the crew of Salcombe lifeboat station respond to a mayday call for a fisherman pulled to the bottom of the sea ensnared in his own fishing gear and a devastating fire on a boat fifteen miles out in the channel.

On the east coast of Ireland, the crew of Courtown's inshore lifeboat must keep a teenage girl with suspected spinal injuries immobile and afloat for 40 minutes, knowing any movement could leave her paralysed for life.

The crew at Tower Station in central London, the busiest of the RNLI's 238 stations, are called to rescue a man reported in the water eight miles downstream. On arrival, they discover a river bus already on the scene.

In Brighton, the crew are called out for what they think is just a routine job to tow a yacht that has lost power back to the harbour. But a sudden spring squall and mountainous waves leave the crew fighting to save a yacht and themselves.

In Torbay, Devon, the seas are often crowded with sailing craft of all shapes and sizes. When two boats collide, the Torbay lifeboat crew are called out to provide emergency medical assistance for a potentially life-changing injury.

At Anstruther station in Scotland, George takes charge of his first serious medical evacuation of a woman who has slipped on one of the most notorious parts of the station's patch, where walkers have to negotiate steep cliffs.