Emily Wilson, a successful young writer, travels from New York to Bainbridge Island to visit her great-grandmother Bee. The girl survived a divorce and a creative crisis, so she hopes that she will be able to master her thoughts and feelings outside the metropolis. However, life on the ocean shore is no longer as carefree as it seemed in childhood during the holidays. Some inhabitants of the island seem to be in a silent conspiracy. Emily admires her new acquaintance Jack, but Grandma Bea is very vocal about this displeasure.