When Turner and his parents move Phippsburg, Maine Turner find life dull and stifling until he meets Lizzie Bright Griffin, a young African American girl from a nearby island. The two young children form a close bond despite Turner's fathers disapproval. The elders at Turner's fathers church decide that if they want to bring tourists in they would have to remove people on Malaga Island which is where Lizzie lives with her family. This story paints of picture of racism in the early 20th century. It is a touching story but sad at the same time. It shows how young people can grown and mature drastically in front of a reader's eyes.