Hickory knows there are secrets below his feet, hidden in the thick layers of dirt that cover the ancient world of Before. However, while no one is allowed to dig and find out what the past is hiding, Hickory Stevens innocently stumbles into the cave of the Eidolon, who lived one thousand years earlier in the very world forbidden to him. She tells him about the artifacts he secretly pulls out of the dirt and lends glimpses into the life of Hickory's ancestors, who mysteriously unleashed destruction and obliterated their future. Hickory's world changes as secrets can't keep from being unleashed on the town of Portla, and his future is uncertain when his father blatantly disobeys the town laws and the stalwart order of the Baltimorians, showing Portla what Before's forbidden information has to offer their sheltered lives. Wanting to show his father that he can find secrets too, Hickory, together with his friends, starts an adventure of discovery riddled with surprises, dangers, and the need to make choices that will change Hickory's life forever.