When Daniel was just a little kid, Uncle Jack showed him the old grandfather clock in the attic and told him it was full of dark secrets. Jack instructed Daniel to care for the clock if something ever happened to him. That time has come; Uncle Jack left for the Amazon awhile back and hasn't been seen since. Now sixteen-year-old Daniel is determined to follow his uncle's wishes.
As Daniel examines the clock, he discovers a burned message on the back panel that reads: Beyond the Shadows, Time Waits. He's intrigued but has no idea what the message means. When the clock strikes thirteen, Daniel is thrown into a deadly adventure in a different time and place.
He initially finds himself in the cemetery, the Everlasting Garden of Rest, in the country of Arcadia, and he realizes he's a long way from New York. With his new acquaintances Benora and Poge, Daniel experiences a journey that changes his life. And it all started with a clock.