Gold Diggers: The Secret of Bear Mountain

Beth and her mother Kate move from Los Angeles to the small town of Wheaton, Washington, hoping for a fresh start. Beth struggles with leaving the city she loves and resents the quiet new surroundings. They move into Kate's aunt's farmhouse, bringing with them the weight of recent tragedy.

While riding her bike to get oriented, Beth is forced off the road by a pickup truck and crashes into a river where Jody is fishing. The accident plants the seed of a tense first meeting between the two girls. Beth's view of the town's rough edges begins to take shape.

Kate introduces Beth to two local girls, Tracy and Samantha, while Beth encounters Jody in the woods. The girls' warnings about Jody barely deter Beth from getting to know her. Beth and Jody quickly become friends, with Jody sharing stories and an adventurous spirit.

Jody tells Beth she has a grand adventure planned for the summer solstice the next day. The sense of freedom and danger around their plan draws Beth deeper into Jody's world. The town's quiet summer day belies the upcoming reckoning.

Beth wakes for the promised solstice adventure only to find Jody missing. Sheriff Matt Hollinger offers Beth a ride to Jody's house, where Jody's mother Lynette appears shaken and inebriated and says Jody is not home. Matt's return to Beth reconnects an old acquaintance from her mother's past.

Jody calls Beth and guides her into the forest, explaining she hid from Matt after a candy-machine theft. She shares the legend of Molly Morgan, a female miner who died in a Bear Mountain mine while seeking gold. They board a hidden motorized boat and drift to a cavern where Jody has a makeshift living space.

A rainstorm approaches and a rock collapse damages the makeshift boat, pinning Beth inside the cave. Jody swims to safety down the river and encounters a state trooper, while Beth's survival is secured just as water rises. The close call cements the boundary between Jody's danger-filled world and Beth's cautious outlook.

Beth is rescued and taken to the hospital, where Jody confronts the fact that Ray, her abusive mother's boyfriend, may be alive. The revelation heightens the stakes and confirms the danger surrounding Jody. Beth and Jody prepare for the next steps with wary determination.

At a Fourth of July picnic, Jody reveals her plan to return to the mountain to retrieve the gold. Kate forbids Beth from spending time with Jody, but Beth's curiosity and loyalty pull her toward her friend. The holiday backdrop heightens the sense of community around their dangerous quest.

Beth and Kate visit Jody's house and find it trashed, Lynette beaten and incoherent, and there is no sign of Ray or Jody. Lynette is taken to the hospital as Beth and Matt head toward Bear Mountain to search for Jody and the missing gold. The town's fear and fascination with the mystery deepen.

Inside the mountain caves, Beth and Jody search for answers. Jody is grabbed by what she thinks is Ray, but an elderly woman (Molly Morgan) appears and intervenes, striking Ray with a shovel. The woman vanishes and Matt arrives, arresting Ray as Beth and Jody are left shaken but safe. The scene blends folklore and danger as the truth about the gold becomes tangled.

In late August, Matt brings Beth, Kate, Jody, and Lynette to the courthouse where an anonymous donor presents two bags of gold to Beth and Jody. The town cheers as they are celebrated for surviving and for the legends that surround their actions. The gift marks a hopeful resolution for the girls and their future.