Yesterday 16-year-old Emily's mother was a high-powered attorney. Today she is a mermaid. While the car accident they were in left Emily relatively unscathed, her mother is just not the same. She doesn't care about court cases and keeps talking about her missing tail.

But life doesn't stop when you're in the midst of a family crisis. Emily continues with school and falling in love for the first time, all while taking care of her little sister, who starts to believe their mother is part water nymph.

Ultimately, Emily has to make the toughest decision of her life. Does she keep her mermaid mother landlocked in Nebraska or take her to the Pacific Ocean as promised? Either way, Emily fears she may lose her mother forever.