In the two years since they said good-bye, Jesse and Willy have both become part of their own families: Jesse has been adopted by his foster parents, Glen and Annie Greenwood, and Willy has found his own Orca "pod," including his mother and younger siblings, in the seas off the Pacific Northwest. On a camping trip with his foster parents and newly discovered half-brother, Elvis, Jesse finds his old friend, Willy, off the coast, and the two quickly rediscover the us-against-the-world camaraderie that they shared before. But their happy reunion is cut short when an offshore oil spill threatens to trap Willy, his sister and his brother away from their mother and family of whales forever. As the danger moves closer, Jesse must call upon all the trust, loyalty and faith Willy has in him to return Willy--along with his brother and sister--back to their mother in the open seas.