In a small California cove, old Jake Spivins works as a shipwright, a craftsman who repairs and restores seaworthy vessels. One busy day while Jake is cleaning the deck of a ship he is repairing, he is suddenly showered with a cascade of saltwater from above. After his seal friend, Rocky, alerts him there is an intruder in the cove, Old Jake meets a huge grey whale who takes the anchor line in its mouth and tugs his boat to the other side of the pier. After Jake names the whale Tug, he soon discovers that his new friend has another hidden talent that will change his boat business, and life, forever. In this delightful tale for children, an old boatwright encounters a family of whales along Northern California's hidden coast that shower him with a wonderful surprise.