Fourteen year old Sam McFarland is overweight and the target of his school's biggest bully. He resents his parent's constant reminders of his need to get better grades in order to get into a good college, of his failure to lose weight, of the time he spends at his computer playing games and his irresponsibility in keeping his room clean and completing his chores.Sam's closest mentor is his grandfather. The one person who does not judge him, and proudly tells him stories about his Scotch-Irish ancestors who started the family farm in 1740 in North Carolina. Sam overhears his father pressuring the Grandfather to sell the farm, because no one in the family wants it. His grandfather furiously says he will then leave it to Sam and his father laughs and says Sam is too irresponsible and lazy to take care of the farm or anything else.Sam is humiliated and vows to show everyone that he can do something to make him famous in his community. He will find the fabled and dangerous Forbidden Rock that is said to be in the huge, dense, mountainous forest adjoining their town. Tales are told about people disappearing when they hunted for the rock, and it was said the rock swallowed them - and never spit them back. Sam decides to take his dog, Buddy, and find it! They never returned home.But Sam is home. However he is separated from his family by 240 years. His dangerous adventure begins. He is captured by Indians, pursued by river pirates and kidnapped. His hope of finding a way home, or even staying alive, appears to be impossible.