Just thirteen, Kathleen felt isolated and alienated by her family. A victim of her parents' lack of connection to each other and to her, she was dragged by her mother to another artist colony for the summer. There she met the annoying Malcolm, a sixteen-year-old, mentally-challenged boy living with his caregiver.

In Watercolor Summer, Nan Allen tells the story of the difficult summer when Kathleen learned how Malcolm and his colorful guardian were the examples of true and selfless love. She paints a story on the canvas of Kathleen's life which was transformed by the Master Artist--a life once stained by pain and trial, that became a thing of beauty.