The Hunt for Smitty is a story of discovery. Fifteen cousins set out in a boat to find Smitty the Lake Monster, a creature everybody says exists but nobody has ever seen. Their search is fruitless until an accident plunges the youngest cousin, a baby, into the water and is rescued by Smitty. From there a new adventure begins as the cousins befriend the monster and aid and protect him as he tries to prevent a bridge from collapsing even as hunters surround him. Over the course of a day, the cousins discover that 'what everybody says' isn't always so. They also witness genuine heroism and sacrifice, And they make a friend for a lifetime.