The wondrous story is set in motion one summer when Maise Higa, a listless first-year high school girl who works part-time at the front desk of her family's hotel in Okinawa, meets an "Ichirō Suzuki," a mysterious youth who came alone from Tokyo as a hotel guest. Since Suzuki's arrival, "dëji" things have been happening around Maise, like fish swimming around the room or a giant banyan tree smashing through the hotel ceiling. ("Dëji" is an Okinawan word that means "totally" or "very.")