In the Marshall Islands, Gabe follows the astonishing knowledge of canoe builders and navigators who read ocean swells, weather, and movement instead of relying on a fixed line across a page. Jela is patient with the sea and much less patient with visitors who think copying a visible chart means they understand the people who use it. A wave-pattern Crossing reveals a route that changes with tide, witness, and relationship. Tala wants to fix the pattern long enough to solve it, but the ocean refuses to become a possession. What looks like a coordinate may be a clue, a warning, or a test of whether the family can follow a living map without taking it away from its keepers.
