Becky Russell's summer vacation isn't getting off to a great start. She's broken up with her boyfriend, she's not on speaking terms with her best friend, and she can't get her lifeguard job back because of an argument with the swim coach. Worst of all, she believes her parents' controlling ways have made her a prisoner in her own home. Why is everyone against her? All she wants is a little freedom. She's got to escape!

Becky flees to her uncle's dolphin research facility in the Florida Keys. She becomes enthralled with a handsome conservation activist who opposes marine mammal captivity. In turn, Becky questions the morality of her uncle's business, nearly destroying it in the process.

One exceptionally compassionate creature that lives at the facility is Miss Angel, the lead dolphin for the facility's new dolphin-child therapy program. This program must succeed in order for Becky's uncle to survive economically.

While wrestling with the dolphin captivity issue, she seeks her own personal independence. Can Becky accept the responsibility that freedom requires of her?