It's the calm before the storm of World War II in 1939 in small-town Messina, California. Angie Wallace and her friends have set out on a mission to "love thy neighbor" even if that means inviting weird Dodie Crumper to join in their summer plans. But as they move through their neighborly to-do list, the girls can't help but notice that there's something strange about the sudden return of Jefferson Clement.