The story kicks off from there and they soon become friends. Once the summer ends for the girl however, she must return home. Leaving the boy behind to wait another year. So this was a tradition for the two, the boy waiting by the Shrine's arc for the girl to visit him.
I truthfully found this anime to be heartwarming and sad at the same time. It will strike at your heartstrings when you see the ending of it. Perhaps it will make you question why you ever watched this to just be broken in the end. If you have seen this before or are planning too, this must be at the top of the list.
This could also help some people understand how others feel around them, if the "same" (more or so if the person that was loved died or went away) situation was to occur, that person (you) would have some small knowledge on what they (the hurt) may be going through.
