A five-year-old's father disappears on a stormy night after a chance meeting with one of his high school students. The town believes he ran off with her. Years later, the boy discovers his father's diary in an old box and begins putting together a tragic truth about his death in the sea. But the diary also kindles a relationship with the father he never knew. When he meets a girl whose father suffered a similar fate, they form a strong bond. Through their adventures, we not only watch them grow. We relive mid-century Laguna Beach and are transported to a magical time.