Twelve-year-old Daniel, under circumstances he doesn't understand, has finally made a friend. Though thirteen-year-old Theodora's life revolves around her duties as a lightkeeper's daughter in 1934, and Daniel is a lonely, bullied kid trying to tamp down his emotional upheavals in the year 2012-through a slippage in time-they've met. Theodora is intrigued by Daniel-his odd clothes and odder behavior, and with his fascination and knowledge of whales. Their lives are put in danger as they attempt to rescue a mother whale entangled in crab trap lines. When a rogue wave throws Theo from the boat, Daniel's emotions spiral. Desperately trying to save his friend, he finds himself ricocheting back and forth through time. Did she survive, as an old newspaper article says, or did his attempt to save her change the course of both their lives?