As friends move away from the safe enclave of Lukens that always been her home, Ella Marie Hutchins struggles with the decision to leave the disappearing coastal town near Oriental. Her choice might be made for when World War II edges closer to the North Carolina coastal village, but not before a sailor teaches her how to really see all the treasures of life both above and below the ocean's surface. But is Griff really what he appears to be? In this fast-moving tale of a vanishing town set in 1942, war-time reality challenges long-held perceptions, and change becomes a way of life for the occupants of Lukens.