Summer is only a month away, but things aren't going according to plan for 15-year-old Nick Bannerman. Nick dreams of making it big in music, but his best friend, Trevor, wants them to volunteer in Africa building a school with a changemaker organization—though Nick isn't at all interested. So how does Nick end up in Thailand volunteering at an elephant refuge with Camila, an intimidating, self-assured 16-year-old local girl who wants to be a mahout even though local tradition won't allow it? With glimpses of Trevor in Africa learning about Kenyan culture and confronting child soldiers, Nick in Thailand encounters an extreme animal rights activist, drugged tigers, and rampaging elephants. Will Nick have the courage to act and care about more than just himself?