Seventeen-year-old Maile falls in love with Englishman John Harbottle, the navigator for Captain James Cook, when they arrive in the Sandwich Islands. The two cultures clash after the death of Captain Cook in 1779, and Maile's forced to make an impossible decision: save John or save her people.

Manu, one of five brothers who are the first humans to set foot on Hawaii, is unhappy until he saves the life of a strange creature he calls Dog-of-the-Sea-Waves, and they become fast friends. Includes facts about Hawaii and the unique plants and animals found there.