Jerry is an eleven-year-old English boy vacationing with his widowed mother in a foreign country. He is observant and eager for independence, finding himself increasingly drawn to a dangerous rocky shore away from the tame tourist beach. Driven by a desire to prove his maturity, he sets a challenging physical goal for himself and trains with intense determination.

Jerry's mother is a widow raising her son alone during their beach vacation. She consciously works to avoid being an overbearing parent, often second-guessing her maternal instincts to ensure she does not smother him. She spends her days on the safe, sandy beach under a yellow umbrella, allowing Jerry the freedom to explore the nearby rocks alone.

The local boys are a group of older, deeply tanned youths who frequent the rocky bay. They speak a language Jerry does not understand and are highly skilled swimmers and cliff divers. To the protagonist, they represent an ideal of physical capability and independence.