Twelve-year-old Daniel Braden usually enjoys a good mystery—that is, if it’s one he can read in a book, or watch on television. He's not fond of those that drop without warning into his real life. However, after a series of bizarre events, he discovers a mysterious stone in a most unusual place and believes it may be the key to answering the most looming of questions:
Why is he suddenly having such terrifying dreams? What did he really see on the school bus? What are the family secrets they've kept from him his whole life? Does his younger brother, Joshua, know anything about them? But first things first—there's the problem of how to outrun the giant henchman goon chasing him through the forest in the middle of the night; otherwise, he won’t be around long enough to unravel the family secrets.