In the Spring of 2008 the Army Corps of Engineers declared the LA River "non-navigable", thus excluding it from protection under the Clean Water Act. Enter Heather, a biologist working for the Army Corps, who cannot simply stand by and see this natural resource fed to developers, and who leaks the internal memo to her congressman, Henry Waxman. A media storm descends on the issue, and George Wolfe, a satirist and avid kayaker is caught in the beam of public attention. Why? Because he'd been planning a trip down the entire river, just for fun. Emboldened by Heather, his expedition suddenly gains a higher purpose, and a dozen intrepid boaters volunteer to participate and confront the authorities, and demonstrate the navigability of this river.