Four-year-old Johnny doesn't know what a dream is and he doesn't know how to swim but each night when his eyes close, he realizes he's swimming in nearby Lake Merritt. One night he figures out how to do more than swim. He dives between bands of reflected light to discover an upside-down sky with upside-down birds careening and an upside-down playground in front of upside-down apartments surrounding an upside-down Lake Merritt. It's a secret he can't keep. Soon he's telling everyone.