Beach loving surfer Alberta has been the only black girl in town for years. Alberta's best friend Laramie is the closest thing she has to a sister, but there are some things even she can't udnerstand. When the Bed and Breakfast next door finally finds new owners, Alberta is ecstatic to learn the new family is black, and they have a 12-year old daughter just like her.

Alberta is positive she and the new girl, Edie, will be fast friends. But her dads are quick to warn her, "all skinfolk ain't kinfolk". While Alberta is an upbeat sporty beach lover, Edie is a moody Wednesday Addams come to life. She wears black dresses and lipstick, and doesn't get any of Alberta's jokes.

When the girls discover a collection of secret journals in Edie's attic, their curiosity gets the best of them and they put their differences aside. Soon they discover shocking and painful secrets, and the role the unrelenting violence of s racism played in it.