Dare Island, forty miles off the coast of North Carolina, is known for its wild horses and uninhabited side, which the locals have left largely unexplored. When twelve-year-old Jesse and his friend Lucas discover a giant creature washed up on a Dare Island beach one night, they are launched into the most exciting and perilous adventure of their lives.
Later, near the island's campground, they spot a dangerous-looking creature that looks like a cross between a monkey and a cat. Jesse sends a photograph of the animal to Jasper Callison, a retired biology professor and head of the Society for the Search for Unknown Animals. Jasper decides to investigate, and calls on his old friend Pete, a retired biologist who has worked with him before. Once arriving on the island they are befriended by Sheriff Tillman Dunn who shares in their adventures.
What they find on Dare Island leads Jasper to believe that a monumental change in human history is unfolding before their eyes. Jasper, Pete, Tillman, Jesse, and Lucas are forced to call upon every reserve of strength and courage to survive and to solve The Dare Island Enigma.