Deluxe Hardcover edition, featuring a photo insert, surfing map of Southern California, eight pages of the original script to the film Big Wednedsday , essays by Roger McGrath, Tatsuo Takei, Don James, and Peter Townend, as well as John Milius' original pitch letter to Lynn Nesbit, a surf term glossary, and new afterword Based on true events and legendary surfers of the 1960s, the Big Wednesday novel follows three Malibu surfers as the joys of youth and their carefree lifestyles are challenged by societal expectations, the looming war in Vietnam, and the inevitable passage of time. The three friends, Matt, Jack, and Leroy, go their separate ways, but are brought back together for one final challenge—the giant waves that hit Malibu and the California coast, spring 1973.