Sophie has had massive disabilities since birth and cannot speak or move except for using her eyes to type and communicate. She is wheelchair bound and must have her legs and arms strapped down so they don't flail about. Heretofore, she has had a carer, Martin, who knows her very well and with whom she can 'talk' with ease. Her parents are very loving and supportive, and she is able through her brilliant mind to think of herself as a fish or whale or sea creature moving through the sea and able to swim. She and Martin decide that her true element is water, and this is the place in her mind in which she feels most at home. She is probably about 12 or 13 when the story begins and is happy with her situation at home with Martin as helper. But her parents know that her mind demands more than either they or Martin are able to give, and he is aware of this too. When they announce she is to go to a residential school, she is horrified. What will she do without Martin? And will she make friends? In the beginning, things do not go well. She is put into a shared room with Amber, an older girl who has been a keen swimmer, and because of an accident is no longer able to swim competitively and refuses to try. She is bitter and unfriendly, particularly because of Sophie's lack of speaking ability, and she and her friends are dismissive. Then one night Sophie becomes aware that Amber is suffering terribly because her long-time boyfriend has ditched her by text, and this is the last straw. How can Sophie help this desperately unhappy girl? The answer is magical and a little unbelievable, but given the intense beauty of the writing, becomes 'right' and inevitable. The book is only 23 pages long, but the style of both word and picture makes it profoundly memorable. A remarkable story.