After the death of her husband, Laura Spencer decides to leave old memories behind and move her young kids, Mark and Annie to Maui. Her quirky and odd brother-in-law Ted agrees to take them in to his dilapidated house buried in the Hawaiian jungle, even if they have to put up with his curmudgeonly habits and silly jokes.

Hoping to find friends in the wild and new creatures around her, Annie, the youngest, finds a way to follow her own passion, taking care of animals, by creating a secret zoo hidden on her uncle’s property.

Missing the guidance of his father, her brother Mark meets an eccentric older local, Alika, who lives on the mountain behind Uncle Ted’s house. The two form an unlikely friendship when Alika agrees to help Mark win over the girl of his dreams.

But someone wants the land their uncle lives on for a new housing development, and will stop at nothing to find a way to force them off.

It just so happens Laura is working for the man behind the scheme, though neither realize it until it’s too late, and the family must come together to save their home and everything they love.