Wanting to get closer to her crush Miles (Ferdia Walsh-Peelo), Ruby joins the school choir after learning that he also signed up. The choir teacher, Bernardo Villalobos, realizes that Ruby has incredible raw talent. He says that if she agrees to follow a strict training regimen, she could harness her ability to get a college scholarship to study music. Although desirous of the opportunity, her home life begins interfering with her training. The fishermen have grown upset due to the steady decrease in price the local manufacturer is paying for their catch, and the government is now requiring the fishermen to pay $800/month to have “monitors” accompany them on their fishing trips to monitor the amount of fish in the ocean. Leo convinces his parents to begin a small business where the fishermen will sell directly to consumers. They begin relying more heavily on Ruby to act as communicator with their clients and employees, causing her to miss or arrive late for her training. Villalobos threatens to stop training her if she doesn’t commit fully. Meanwhile, Ruby’s family explain that they don’t understand the value of her music (given that they can’t hear it) and pressure her to give it up.

Overwhelmed, Ruby skips work one morning and invites Miles (who she has been assigned a duet with) to join her at a secluded swimming hole where they finally kiss. On that same day, however, a monitor arrives to accompany Frank and Leo as they fish. Upon learning the pair are deaf, the monitor freaks out and calls the coast guard on them. At a subsequent trial, the court orders that they always have a hearing person aboard the ship. Ruby agrees to forego college and stay at home to help out. Although Frank and Jackie are grateful, Leo is outraged that they don’t trust him to resolve their problems and angry that they are holding Ruby back from her dreams (noting they used to get along just fine before she was born).

The school concert arrives and Ruby’s family attends. Although they can’t hear her performance, they can see from the reactions of Gertie and the other audience members that Ruby is a star. When the concert ends, Villalobos asks Ruby to attend the audition for scholarships held the next morning, but she declines. When the family returns home, Frank asks Ruby to sing for her as he caresses her throat to feel the vibrations. He is overwhelmed with emotion by her singing, and the pair embrace.

The next morning, Frank, Jackie and Leo surprise Ruby by dressing up and taking her to the audition. She is initially unnerved by the judges and her audition begins poorly. However, her family and Villalobos join her in the audition room and, inspired by them, she sings with confidence (while signing the lyrics for her family to sing).

Jumping ahead, Ruby obtained the scholarship and is going to college. It is also revealed that her family’s business is successful, and Leo was able to find and hire a hearing crewmate for their ship (and is training him in American Sign Language). Ruby bids a fond farewell to Miles before returning home to where her family and Gertie await. Gertie will be driving with Ruby cross-country to college. Ruby embraces each family member before getting into the car. As she drives away, Ruby signs to her family that she loves them deeply.