Though living far apart, teens Gwen and Lise are bosom buddies. Their loyalty to each other supercedes almost every other relationship in their lives. Gwen lives by the seaside with her parents, a fisherman father and housewife mother. She is rather insouciant--a bouncy, good-natured, tousle-haired blonde with Rubenesque charm. Gwen does the usual teenage things, like hanging out with friends, sleeping on the beach and finding hideaways to have sex with her boyfriend. But most of all, she looks forward to letters from Lise. In contrast to Gwen, Lise is red-haired, thinner, more intense and less easygoing. She has never known her father. Her escape is her aquarium and the fish that are her obsession. When a dramatic change in her life causes great confusion, she takes off for Brittany to see Gwen.