Ten year old Nina wants a dog more than anything else in the world. But there is one problem: her mother keeps saying no. Since Nina's parents are divorced and she lives with her mom, her mother's answer always includes that the dog would be alone alot since Nina has school with other activities and her mom works. In addition to its being alone, a dog requires more attention than just playing with it. Nina is devastated. She always hopes that maybe for getting a good grade on a project or on a test or even for her birthday that her mother might surprise her. But it never happens. The closest Nina comes to a dog is taking care of Hipper the neighbor's dog a few times a week. Hoping this will show her mother that she is responsible and capable, Nina wishes and hopes but even this doesn't change her mother's mind. What can she do to change her mother's mind. She even tries helping around the house more but nothing seems to work.
Nina is a good student and likes school. She and her bestie, Gabriela, do their homework together and both get good grades. One day the teacher begins a new geography project. Geography isn't Nina's favorite subject but she must do the project anyhow. She is not excited at all. The project is about foreign countries and having a penpal in a country. Nina thinks it is stupid to have a friend that you can't even be with Although she does her work, she is not really into it. But little does Nina know that this silly project is going to change her life forever.
Nina gets a penpal, Severine, who lives in Guadeloupe, a French Caribbean island. She and her penpal exchange letters and pictures at the start. Nina is flabergasted when she receives Severine's picture. Not only is Severine wearing shorts and a t-shirt in front of a Christmas tree, but she also has a dog next to her! Nina is captivated by the cute dog, Even her penpal has a dog! Nina's jealousy runs wild.
Then one night in Nina's dreams, a dog visits her and takes her on magical and exciting adventures in Guadeloupe. But this is not any old dog, this is Ti Punch, Severine's dog. Nina is thrilled and falls in love with him right away. He opens Nina's eyes to a whole new word that she never dreamed of,
After her extraordinary journey of discoveries and friendships, Nina wonders even more what she can do to make her dream come true. Will she reunite with Ti Punch in real life? Will he work his magic again? Will their love for each other last? Will she become the happiest girl in the world?
