When the Kendalls lose their ranch in 1848, thirteen-year-old Abigail Kendall, her family, and friends Luke, Kini, and Duncan, travel to the island of Kauai to investigate the sugarcane business. Upon arrival, they're welcomed by the wealthy plantation owner, Reese Cutter, and Pa and Uncle Samuel are offered jobs in the fields. But all isn't as sweet as it looks. The Hawaiian workers talk about how Reese has changed since his parents died. The dastardly Cap'n Jim, who threw Abby and Luke off his boat in a previous adventure, shows up at Reese's dinner table. And then there's something fishy about the Cutter parents' will. When Abby and Luke decide to investigate, they solve not only one mystery, but two, uniting relatives who didn't even know about each other! Along the way, Abby learns that home isn't a house or ranch-it's wherever your family and friends are.