Mitch and Cody are demonstrating a training exercise while being observed by Alex’s nephew, Timmy Grayson, a 10 year-old, mildly autistic boy who cannot, or will not, speak. His mother, Valerie, is planning to take Timmy to Hawaii, where he can visit Dolphin Quest, an organization that specializes in giving young children the extraordinary experience of swimming with dolphins. Mitch tries to show the boy how to make footprints in the wet sand, but Timmy is so afraid of the water that he starts screaming hysterically.
Valerie finds out that her boss has just given her a major assignment, and she must cancel their vacation to Hawaii even though she knows it will break Timmy’s heart. Alex offers to go instead, and Cody decides to join them so that he can enter an outrigger race.
Upon their arrival in Hawaii, Timmy is immediately drawn to a statue of two dolphins in the lobby of the Hilton Waikoloa. Cody mentions that he saw a special on TV about the therapeutic benefits that autistic children can have from contact with dolphins. But Alex is quick to say that there really is no cure for autism, and care has to be taken not to give parents false hope for recovery.
Later, at Dolphin Lagoon, Alex tries to get Timmy to get into the water and play with the other children who are swimming with a pregnant mother dolphin. While fascinated, Timmy is too afraid of the water to get in. Suddenly, Cody and Alex notice that Timmy has disappeared. They find him with Wyland, a local artist, who is drawing a picture of dolphins. Wyland lets Timmy draw the back of one onto his canvas, and he tells them that Timmy is in tune with the dolphins. He gives Timmy the sketch.
At Anaehoomalu Bay, Cody meets Kali MacKenzie, a beautiful lifeguard who also happens to be Lani’s sister. She tells him that the outrigger race has been postponed, and suggests an island tour in her two-man kayak. Cody and Kali paddle around in the kayak looking at all the sites when they see a boy who is rock climbing fall into the water. Cody and Kali jump in to rescue him, but because of the pounding surf, Kali gets knocked out and Cody must rescue her, too.
When Cody arrives back at Anaehoomalu, Alex chastises him for leaving her to take care of Timmy by herself. While they argue, Timmy slips away to the beach, where he sees a girl get knocked in the head by a wayward surfboard. Remembering what he had seen in lifeguard training, he jumps into the water, pulls her to shore, and begins mouth-to-mouth. A frantic Cody and Alex arrive moments later only to realize that not only did Timmy go into the water, he actually performed a rescue!
The vacation is coming to an end, and Cody and Kali bid each other a fond farewell. They know they are attracted to each other, but decide to put that feeling aside. Timmy, Cody and Alex feed and take pictures with the dolphins, but Alex remains unconvinced that the dolphins have any special effect. Later, the dolphin trainer comes up to tell them that the mother is about to give birth. Timmy is no longer afraid of the water, and he, Cody and Alex put on goggles and watch the miracle of life renewing itself all over again. Then, the mother dolphin surfaces and nuzzles Timmy, motivating him to speak his first word, “Mama.”
When they arrive home, Timmy takes the sketch Wyland drew and shows Valerie. He utters “Mama” to her as he touches the painting, then his mother’s heart.
