Uporniški najstnik Sandy Ricks nikakor ne more sprejeti dejstva, da sta se njegova starša ločila. Njegova mama upa, da bo Sandyju sprememba okolja dobro dela, zato ga čez poletje pošlje k ostarelemu stricu Porterju, ki živi na Floridi. Tam Sandy nekega dne reši življenje delfinu Flipperju. Od tistega trenutka dalje Sandy in prijazni delfin postaneta neločljiva prijatelja. Njuno prijateljstvo Sandyja popolnoma spremeni.
Sandy Ricks is sent by his mom to Coral Key, a rustic island in the Florida keys, to spend the summer with his uncle Porter Ricks. Sandy dislikes everything about his new environment until a new friend comes into his life, a dolphin named Flipper, that brings uncle and nephew together and leads Sandy on the summer adventure of a lifetime.