Colin Devereaux is a teen in crisis. He's an outcast at school, a target for bullies, and a helpless bystander as he watches his single mother wither from cancer. But those problems pale to the things he can't explain - the dark creatures he's spied lurking over his sleeping mother's form, the strange old shopkeeper at the marina who seems to know Colin's mind, and the mysterious puzzle box that the old man trades for Colin's name.
The line of reality blurs as the puzzle box opens, revealing a path to another world and a clue that may save his mother's life. Stranded in a kingdom devastated by darkness and war, Colin joins a ragtag resistance against evil forces to find salvation for his mother and himself.