Coming of Age in a time of war. The year is 1944 and everyone's life is deeply affected by the global conflict of World War II. Sarah Bowers finds herself spending her twelfth summer in the tiny town of Beaufort on the North Carolina coast. She is disappointed to be leaving her friends in the city of Raleigh, and assumes her summer will be long and boring. Learning the art of fishing, sharing a secret hide away, a cousin's wedding and weathering a horrific hurricane all conspire to make Sarah's summer anything but boring.

More fun and adventure on the Carolina Coast. Sarah Bowers and her family return to Beaufort in the summer of 1945. Papa Tom takes his grandchildren to the health department for a vaccination which will prevent typhoid fever. The grandfather's bravery disappears when he learns it is time for him to be vaccinated, too. Sarah helps Miss Nettie through a terrible ordeal and discovers how happy it makes her feel to practice the Golden Rule. Faced with a dilemma, Sarah must decide if she should she speak up and help a person falsely accused of a crime, or if she should remain silent?

So begins the search for a suitable bride... Sarah fancies her Uncle Herb lonely and in need of a wife. With the aid of Granny Jewel and her friend Nancy, they set about to find the perfect young woman. Sarah soon realizes it is not quite as simple as searching for an item at Upton's Department Store. Sarah and Joshua witness an airplane crash. With no thought of their own safety, their heroic actions help save the handsome young pilot garnering Sarah her first proposal of marriage. Papa Tom demonstrates to Joshua the tough lesson of repaying bad with good. As summer ends, Uncle Herb...