Young Susan tells this gripping and moving tale about the summer when she was eight years old, and her brother Bruno nearly drowns in the sea. She gets him back to shore where he becomes seriously ill. While he is in hospital, Susan and sister Peanut are often left alone. This is a story about change, growth and hope told through the eyes of a child who does not understand what is happening. It covers the developing relationship of the three children, the kindness of strangers, the support and love in a family that needs assistance and is fortunate enough to find it.