The following version of the book was used to create this study guide: Bromfield, Asha. Hurricane Summer. St. Martin's Publishing Group, New York, NY, 2021. Kindle AZW file.

At the beginning of summer, 18-year-old Tilla is at the Toronto airport with her mother Marie and her younger sister Mia. Tilla and Mia are about to board a plane for Jamaica to visit their father, Tyson. Through Tilla's perspective, the reader learns that Tyson and Marie live together sometimes, but Tyson always returns to Jamaica where he spends most of his time. He works for a cousin there, and Marie (who is also from Jamaica) has a job in Canada. This is the first time Tilla and Mia have made this trip. Marie is worried about many things, including the upcoming hurricane season.

Tilla has been hurt each time her parents fought and even more each time Tyson left them behind. When she and Mia arrive at the airport in Jamaica, she is not surprised that Tyson is almost an hour late. He makes an excuse about traffic and hugs the girls. As always, Tilla is so glad to be in his presence that she does not tell him how she feels. They travel through Kingston and into the countryside. When they reach Comfort Hall in Manchester Parish, Tilla discovers that members of her family have been anxiously waiting for her arrival. She remembers very few of her cousins, aunts, and uncles other than Andre, a soft-spoken young man who played with Tilla during a visit when she was very young.

Tilla quickly discovers that most of her relatives are jealous because she symbolizes the privileged life they will never have. Rather than spending time with Tilla and Mia, Tyson returns to the city. Tilla's Aunt Herma constantly berates Tilla the moment Tyson is gone. Her cousin Diana seems friendly at times but makes rude comments about Tilla while making herself look important. Tilla feels an instant connection with a young man named Hessan and begins spending intimate time with him. Then, she learns that Hessan and Diana made a promise to marry. Diana sees the attraction between Hessan and Tilla, and she sets events in motion that lead to a local thug sexually assaulting Tilla. Diana then spreads the story that Tilla had sex with this man by choice. Tilla turns to Hessan for comfort, but he is caught up in his own hurt and turns his back on her. Herma tells Tyson every sordid story about Tilla's behavior, exaggerating details to make Tilla seem promiscuous and irresponsible. Tyson believes it all.

Tyson takes the girls to town with him which makes them happy. They had traveled across the world to spend time with him, after all. Their first full day together, he introduces them to a hair stylist named Paula. Tilla likes her until she sees Paula and Tyson kissing and realizes Tyson is the father of Paula's son. That prompts a showdown between Tilla and Tyson. Tyson sends them back to the country, despite reports of a tropical storm headed to Jamaica. Tilla finds that Andre is her only friend, and they spend more time together. She likes his wisdom, even though she is hurt to discover Tyson has been more of a father to many of the children in Comfort Hall than he has to Tilla and Mia. When a hurricane approaches Jamaica, Tyson promises to be with the girls but does not show up. Halfway through the storm, Andre invites Tilla to go outside with him. She joins a group of local boys who race through the storm, battling the winds to reach a hilltop with a view of the ongoing destruction.

When the storm abates, Marie books an early flight back to Canada, and Tilla packs up to await Tyson. She surveys the extensive damage and realizes that she has been very much like this hurricane – coming into the lives of her Jamaican family to cause damage, then leaving without regard for the destruction she leaves behind. She also realizes her time in Jamaica has also been like this, with events that tore her apart so she could be restored. As she is about to leave, they learn Andre drowned in a nearby river. Tilla and Mia remain in Jamaica for the funeral, and Tilla begins to take charge of her life. She tells Hessan she does not forgive him for turning his back on her when she needed him most. She avoids members of the family who have been cruel to her. The final step happens at the airport when she tells Tyson she will not bear the weight of his secret life in Jamaica and that she is giving that secret back to him. On the plane, she finds a drawing Andre made, depicting Tilla standing in the middle of the hurricane. She is watching the destruction.