It is the summer of 1968, and J.J. and his best friend Tony "El Greco" Papadakis are ten years old and inseparable. Their secret hideout is the harbor of an abandoned canning factory – here they can smoke stolen cigarettes unnoticed, watch the seagulls, and make plans for the future. They dream of the day they will finally see the vast Pacific Ocean, as the Atlantic is just a puddle in comparison. However, reality increasingly intrudes on their youthful dreams; during a road trip along the East Coast, the boys encounter a previously unknown side of the USA that forever changes their perspective on life and people. Woodstock and the first moon landing, racial unrest, and the Vietnam War provide the backdrop for this often irresistibly funny, at times heartbreakingly sad novel about two friends whose greatest test is yet to come.