Akira and Lars spot smoke rising from the valley below during their horseback ride in the Sierra Nevada.

The Morris Fire overtakes the mountain; Lars releases the horses and all four pile into Daniel's car to escape.

A mother polar bear mauls George, then attacks Owen, before George scares her away by firing the shotgun.

Hurricane Reuben's surge floods Natalie's house and Mama sends Natalie out alone through a broken window with Churro.

A burning tree falls between Akira and Sue and their fathers, leaving the two girls to flee alone through the smoke.

Akira finds Dodger trapped under a pool cover; Sue uses an apple to lure him out as the house catches fire.

Owen and George discover they are stranded on a frozen lake; the snowmobile crashes through the ice and sinks.

A large scarred male polar bear begins openly stalking Owen and George across the open tundra.

Akira and Sue discover burned vehicles full of dead passengers on the road but Akira refuses to leave Dodger with Vicki.

Natalie runs across floating train cars through the hurricane's eye and climbs into Patience's apartment.

Akira watches the ancient sequoias catch fire and realizes Morris has become one massive connected megafire.

Owen and George climb inside a polar bear trap to escape the bear they have named Nanuq.

Dodger refuses to follow the path and guides Akira's whole family through the flames to a lake where a helicopter spots them.

Owen and George wade into the freezing lake to hold Nanuq's head above water after he is hit with tranquilizer darts.

All main characters meet backstage at Natalie's climate rally and discover they are all connected through friends they share.

When Akira Kristiansen spots wildfire smoke in the Sierra Nevada, a small ember grows into the massive Morris Fire, separating her from her father and forcing her to flee on foot. Meanwhile in Churchill, Manitoba, best friends Owen and George are brutally mauled by a mother polar bear and left stranded on the tundra with a hungry adult male bear tracking them. In Miami, Hurricane Reuben's surge floods Natalie Torres's home and sweeps her alone into the raging floodwaters with only an angry chihuahua for company. Each teen draws on knowledge of their environment and on unexpected human and animal allies to fight their way toward safety. The disasters push all three protagonists to their limits, revealing the devastating real-world consequences of a warming planet. When all the survivors gather at Natalie's Kids Against Climate Change Rally months later, they discover their lives are connected in ways none of them imagined.

The headline survival moments across three simultaneous climate disasters.

Akira and Lars reach the ancient sequoia grove and meet a visiting father and daughter named Daniel and Sue.

Akira opens a wildfire tracking app and watches the Morris Fire engulf the parking lot on the map in real time.

Lars jumps out to check a burning car blocking the road; Akira receives a text that her mom and sister are safe.

Owen and George head out of Churchill on the snowmobile for a weekend trip to George's family cabin.

Owen and George stop to take a break and Owen realizes all their bear deterrents are still on the snowmobile.

Mama brings elderly neighbor Tía Beatriz and her chihuahua Churro inside to shelter from Hurricane Reuben.

A wall caves in during the storm and the ocean surge floods the house, pinning Tía beneath the overturned couch.

Akira calls her mom through the fire for help navigating out, but the call drops before she hears a route.

Akira and Sue find an abandoned house where Akira builds Sue a proper sling from pillowcases, duct tape, and ice.

Natalie discovers a drowned woman inside a floating car and battles the floodwater toward a house where the Evans family shelters her.

The Evans family's house shifts off its foundation and the group escapes to the roof before boarding a passing sailboat.

Nanuq barges into the abandoned cabin and tears it apart while Owen and George cling to the roof above him.

Akira finds her family alive at the house but Lars refuses to leave despite the fire burning all around them.

Natalie learns from Mama by phone that Tía Beatriz survived the flood but died from her injuries before help arrived.

Owen and George take the stage at the rally to describe the polar bear attack; Owen surprises George with a new snowmobile.

The three storylines in Two Degrees begin with ordinary scenes that quickly spiral into catastrophe. Akira and Lars's peaceful ride into the sequoia grove is shattered when the Morris Fire erupts; Owen and George's weekend cabin trip is derailed the moment Owen leaves their bear deterrents behind; and Natalie's hurricane preparations include bringing vulnerable neighbor Tía Beatriz to shelter before Reuben strikes. As each crisis deepens, the characters rely on sharp thinking and unexpected help — a found house full of supplies, a passing sailboat, or a stranger willing to take in a soaking girl and her chihuahua. The aftermath brings new grief, as Natalie learns that Tía Beatriz did not survive her injuries before help could reach her. Recovery begins slowly and communally, as Natalie organizes her neighborhood and Owen and George eventually return home to tell their story at a national rally.

The moments that set the stage and shaped the survivors.

Akira decides not to call Cal Fire when she first spots the smoke, swayed by her father's calm dismissal of the danger.

Lars orders Akira to abandon Dodger to the approaching flames so the group can escape together in the car.

Owen spots a playful polar bear cub on the ice just before realizing the mother bear is directly behind him.

Natalie texts her best friend Shannon and realizes Shannon's high-rise apartment makes her far safer from Reuben than Natalie's low house.

Natalie is swept off her feet and carried alone down the flooded street, clutching Churro to keep him from drowning.

Akira diagnoses Sue's dislocated shoulder and improvises a first sling by trapping the injured arm inside Sue's shirt.

Akira and Sue discover they share a love of solitary sports and begin to genuinely see each other as potential friends.

Owen falls into an empty polar bear den hidden beneath the burned tundra, reopening the wound on his leg.

The insult contest turns serious and George finally reveals that his family is planning to move away from Churchill.

Natalie falls into a rooftop pool alongside a displaced manatee, then yells at the hurricane until it suddenly stops.

Akira and Dodger encounter a mountain lion fleeing the Morris Fire alongside a stream of other panicked forest animals.

A fire retardant plane coats Akira and Dodger in red chemical; Dodger bolts into the burning forest and Akira is knocked from the saddle by a branch.

Akira loosens the reins and gives Dodger full control, trusting his instincts over her own judgment as he turns toward the flames.

Natalie steps back in front of meteorologist Maria Martinez's camera and speaks out about climate inequality and the failure of outside help.

Natalie delivers her closing rally speech, urging every young person to use their own talents to fight for climate justice.

Small decisions carry enormous consequences in Two Degrees — Akira's choice not to call Cal Fire when she first sees smoke, and Lars's order for her to abandon Dodger, set the tone for the story's central tensions. As the disasters unfold, each character is forced to confront the gap between knowing about climate change and actually surviving its consequences. Owen and George's survival trek leads to a raw argument in which George finally admits his family may be forced to leave Churchill, cracking open their friendship so it can heal stronger. Natalie, battered by the storm, experiences a turning point when she yells at the hurricane and believes she has stopped it, shifting from helplessness to agency. Akira's deepest change comes when she surrenders control to Dodger and trusts his instincts over her own judgment, a decision that saves her entire family. By the time Natalie speaks on camera and then delivers her closing rally speech, all three teens have transformed from frightened survivors into determined young advocates.