The story follows a fifteen-year-old boy, Harley, and his dad as they embark on an adventurous fishing trip, an idea Harley's mom suggested to help them bond. They set out for Dad's favourite fishing spot, located just over the horizon on a distant island, where their journey begins.
On the very first night, a powerful storm drags their anchor into a mysterious, hidden archipelago. Deciding to explore a remote island, Harley discovers a house with fruit trees teeming with life in the backyard. He picks some apples for his dad and then heads down to the beach. Harley discovers a toddler playing in the water. When she spots him, she quickly dives beneath the surface. Later, he finds a severely injured man lying in a bed in the house and calls his father, a sergeant. He arrives and tends to the man's injured arm.
Harley finds Breezy, the toddler, sleeping beside the injured man, and they quickly become friends. Breezy then introduces Dad and Harley to the Water People, inhabitants of the archipelago. They soon realise Breezy is not one of them and wonder how she came to the island. Clam shares the story of a shipwreck where older folk were on a luxurious trip around the world when they struck a reef on a stormy night. He explains how the four crow men salvaged timber from the wreck and built these houses on the island for the survivors.
