Nine-year-olds Emma and Anya meet each other on the beach and become instant friends. However, their friendship becomes strained when they learn that they come from "enemy" countries, as Emma is American and Anya is Russian. But, after discovering they both love reading, they decide to see if they can set the nationality difference aside, and still be friends. Through sandcastles and hunting for seashells, they both learn a lot about the other's country and discover that they have a lot of things in common. This book is written in English and Russian, and provides a way to learn either language while also discovering details about both Russian and American culture.