Charlie Emerson is the eldest of the Emerson siblings—nineteen, independent, and already living in California for college when her family fractures. After her parents’ divorce, her mother Lucy uproots Michael and Sam to spend the summer in Santa Carla, moving into their eccentric grandfather’s cliffside house. Despite having built a life away from home, Charlie chooses to come with them for the summer, wanting to protect her brothers during a time when everything feels unstable.