In Smith County, Mississippi, watermelons grow under the unrelenting summer sun under the watchful eye of generations of the Sullivan family. However, Jace Sullivan has always dreamed of opportunities unavailable in south-central Mississippi. His unfulfilled ambition propels him to leave at his first chance weeks after his high school graduation. As far as his older brother, Sean, is concerned, it's good riddance, but to their father, he looks forward to his prodigal's return to the farm to join generations of Sullivans who have worked the fertile soil in Sullivan's Hollow.

With each return visit home, Jace further fractures relationships within his family, particularly with his hopeful father and his resentful brother. While he is away earning his college degree at Baylor and then his MBA at Stanford, his father transforms the family farm into a thriving agritourism destination. He gives Jace far more credit than he deserves, much to the consternation of his older brother.

Jace's idea for a phone app related to the agritourism industry brings him home to Sullivan's Hollow during the family's most important event of the year, the annual watermelon festival. He brings with him a controversial proposal, a request for his inheritance to invest in his can't-miss venture that will make them all rich. But will Jace's quest for validation cause his family to pay the ultimate price of losing everything they hold dear?