No pets are allowed in the apartment where Suzannah and her family live, so she volunteers at a local pet shelter and plays with the dogs and cats there--but when a child whose family is moving brings in her pet guinea pig, Jelly Bean, Suzannah promises that she will find him the perfect home.

A group of sato puppies, homeless dogs of various breeds from Puerto Rico, has arrived at the animal shelter, and second grade volunteer Suzannah immediately falls in love with one puppy, Paloma--but it is her job to get the puppy ready for adoption, a separation that could easily break her heart.