Haley feels hemmed in by her life in general, but she is especially furious at her parents and their restrictions. When she finds a string of pearls on the beach one night, an amazing string of pearls that have the power to transform her into a mermaid, she doesn't hesitate to swim off into the ocean and leave all her concerns behind. But she didn't mean to be gone for an entire year. When she finally returns, her parents are shocked, because they had given her up as dead, and they can't understand where she has been for so long. She also finds that all of the plans she had for her future are...

Elora is a kind girl, who loves to garden, and has a soft spot for tiny creatures. She also loves to tell stories, and would be delighted if magic were real, but she knows it isn't. At least, she thinks she knows it isn't. Unfortunately, the fairy king has taken an interest in her, and she is about to find out how wrong she is. The fairy king plunges her into a world of magic and danger, but when she tries to tell her family and friends, they only think she has come up with her best story yet. That is, until they start to notice that peculiar things happen whenever she's around...