This is a story of a thirteen-year-old boy named Simon, who lives in a new village called Sandoval, outside of Prime City. The world has been through a huge change the past hundred years. The story takes place years after the 'War of the World' that had decreased Earth's population by fifty percent or more. People have abandoned and destroyed almost all religion and culture and in doing so...peace had finally spread throughout the world. New cities and towns have been built and the old ones destroyed. Simon has only known the world to be this way and has never thought to ask of it's past. There are a few hidden societies that still celebrate their religions, cultures and pasts that we may encounter throughout the story.

Simon does however grow curious as to why children are suddenly growing ill all around his peaceful village and wonders why the adults were keeping it a secret. Once his class had been full of classmates and now only he and three others remained. A shy and chubby boy named Rupert, the tall and cynical Caleb, an outspoken and animated girl named Sybille and Penelope, the smartest girl in class who happened to be Simon's best friend.

After school the kids decide to walk home together along a large creek. Caleb prods Rupert into telling the others what he had heard about from his friend Stevie who had just recently gotten sick. Stevie had strange tales to tell about the night before. He was visited by a strange and frightening little man who waxed his eyes shut and forced him to have nightmares. Stevie fell into a coma shortly after Rupert had left his home.

The kids decide to solve this mystery once and for all even if it sounded ludicrous. Because they were the last kids in the village that weren't ill they decide to use Rupert as bait. They would hide inside his closet that evening and wait for this little man to make his appearance and capture him! When they do they find out about a forgotten world that is beyond all their wildest dreams...