When Natalie accompanies her older sister on summer mornings to Ocean Beach in San Francisco, she has an opportunity to explore. Combining the fun of finding a message in a bottle and texting by cell phone, Natalie meets a Vietnamese boy called Duck. The two children from different cultures share an adventure and in the process create a pleasant surprise for their families. While technology is often blamed for isolating people, in this case technology, in the form of text-messaging, brings together two children from very different backgrounds, allowing them to discover shared values of compassion and responsibility. A text-messaging glossary is included at the back.