A storm at sea sweeps Sam out of her sorrow-filled life into a strange and haunting refuge, a world beyond the waves. Thrown from the boat, through the roiling water, our 12-year-old heroine lands where people have never been before. Sam is invited, warily at first, to bear witness to the struggle for survival of the sea and its many creatures, in this their haven. But the world beyond the waves and its wondrous creates, including dolphins, a gorgeous orca, a mama manatee and her offspring, a shy turtle, an elder dinosaur fish and a comic tropic bird, face a threat to their lives that Sam must race to overcome. Through the wizardry and wonder of this spot and its spirit, Sam uncovers the secret to their survival and her soul.