Geocache champion Pilialoha "Pili" Kawena, age 12, is abruptly lifted from her busy New York life and dropped into rural O'ahu to help care for her grandfather. Initially skeptical about her new surroundings, Pili finds a cryptic pirate's journal in her Papa's studio hinting at a 200-year-old shipwrecked treasure hidden away in the island's caves and mountains. With her older brother and new friends in tow she uses her clue solving skills to lead them on an adventure of a lifetime through the natural wonders of Hawai?i. As she learns to respect and love her native culture she also discovers not all secrets should be shared and that the real treasure in life is 'ohana - her family.