12 year old Kaia and her family live near the beach in Santa Monica, and the fun of summer—and movie making— is all around them. Kaia loves turning her friends into magical creatures with special effects makeup. Kaia's very close to her great-grandpa, Tatang, who has lived with her family her whole life. Now he decides it’s time to return to his homeland, the Philippines. Kaia can’t imagine life without Tatang. She’s got to find a way to change his mind. Luckily, Kaia and her friends are making a short film to enter in the Beach Season film contest, which inspires Kaia’s secret, a plan that will convince Tatang to stay. 

Meanwhile, she learns more about his past, including how he fought on the US side in World War II, and his early years in America. Kaia begins to see how his sacrifices enabled her family’s present life, and what winning really means.

This heartwarming novel explores the magic of creativity, the power of storytelling, and the complexity and the joys of family love.