Eleven-year old Rio Turner has lived all of his life in London with his American mother. But when her mental health worsens and she has to be hospitalized, Rio is sent to live with a grandmother he barely knows in California. Rio is lonely and misses his mother desperately, unreceptive to his grandmother’s attempts to get close to him. But then she gives him a shoe box of his mother’s childhood treasures, and Rio discovers drawing after drawing of whales. One of them, titled White Beak, stands out for how lifelike it is and Rio carries it in his pocket to feel closer to his mom. Then, while walking on the beach, Rio meets Marina, a girl his age who lives on a whale-watching boat with her father. Marina tells him that White Beak is an actual whale and she invites him to come on a whale-watching trip where he glimpses the actual White Beak on her migratory route to Mexico. As he learns more about the magnificent creature and the dangers the whales face as a result of human carelessness, he becomes determined to find a way to connect his mom with White Beak again, believing it will be the connection that can help her get well. Capturing the power and mystery of these ocean animals, this story includes information about the struggles facing real gray whales from climate change, pollution and over-fishing. A heart-warming about the healing impacts of the human animal connection.