Alyssa, a troubled 14-year-old suspended from school after her mother drowned, is taken by her grandmother, Lucy, to meet her father, James, whom she thought was dead. James studies dolphin communication on Grand Bahama Island and knows nothing about being a parent. They arrive as he risks losing his research to a tourist attraction. With support from James's girlfriend, Alyssa learns to listen to the dolphins and discovers important lessons about connection and family.