When eight-year-old Saroya loses her mother, her usually absent father takes her on a cruise for her birthday, which he forgets to celebrate.

Devastated and very seasick, Saroya falls off the ship while trying to catch a locket that once belonged to her mother. She is rescued by a dolphin, who takes her to the magical Animia Island, where she meets Josephine, a stuffed puppet; her son, Little Joe; Calista the conch; Jonbl the baseball glove; and Spoon.

They, among others, were all unwanted and have come to life. Through her new friends, Saroya learns she is not alone—and that where there is life, there is love.