Malcolm Whitaker was hoping that his birthday would be normal, but a strange note from his parents, and an even stranger knock from a visitor at his door has his mind reeling. "What type of surprise is this?" Little does Malcolm know that when he opens the door, he is not only opening the door to a stranger, but to a whole new life as he soon learns that his parents are in danger and he - Malcolm Five - is the only person who can save them. Malcolm Five is soon plunged into a world of science, mystery, and intrigue as he must race against time, his own fears of being a time guardian, and Time Pirates to rescue his parents from the year 1776.