Nine year-old Frankie and his mom, Lizzie, have been on the move ever since Frankie can remember. Wanting to protect her deaf son from the truth that they've run away from his father, Lizzie has invented a story to satisfy her son's curiosity. Regularly, Lizzie writes Frankie a make-believe letter from his father, telling of his adventures in exotic lands. However, with his father's make-believe ship arriving in only a fortnight, Lizzie must choose between telling Frankie the truth and finding another way to pacify her son's need to see his father.