Twelve-year-old Floyd C. Frank's primary duty is taking care of Emily, his little sister, due to the disappearance of their father and the neglect of their mother. This, in itself, is quite a task given that Emily has an IQ over 180, is only 8-years-old, and never backs down from a fight. Both of their lives are disrupted when a group of people from the future arrive to convince Floyd to return with them to accomplish an important task that's still a mystery. A boy named Simon accompanied by his large protector Berkeley, a girl named Katie with a mind of her own, and Chester Twiddle, an accidental traveler who seems to be able to find trouble no matter what time period he is in, are thrust into a totally different reality that is filled with advanced technology from people they refer to as the Ancients. Meanwhile an unlikely champion named Chamberlain is trying to bring this group together for a dangerous mission that, with Floyd's help, might just save the entire human race from extinction...if they can stay alive.