Best friends Leah and Angela love exploring the world around them. Their time being out in nature and discovering new trails in the woods or spending hours by a lake differ from their teenage peers, who seem to be on a more traditional path in their lives. Leah feels the need to break free from the boundaries of her small community and longs to have an adventure that will take her to places she's only dreamed of or read about in magazines. She knows that Angela will be right by her side when she does.

On one momentous day, a hot air balloon passes overhead and Leah discovers their ticket out of their normal lives. Using all of their resources, and Angela's amazing sewing skills, the pair build their own hot air balloon that will literally lift them to new heights. After months of planning, building, and packing, the day has arrived when they will set off for unknown destinations, purely at the whim of the wind and natural elements.

After battling through storms and an attack by an aggressive group of albatross, Leah and Angela find themselves on an isolated island that they can't wait to explore. But when a strange man offers them the ultimate adventure to an alternate realm, they are torn on whether they should play it safe or take a chance. Are they brave enough to enter a new world, and if they do, will they ever return?

Discovering The Essence