At home in a small Ohio town, 12-year-old Simon Henderson discovers a family secret that takes him on a magical journey through a perilous world inhabited by magicians, gypsies and hobos. The Great Depression has swept through town, leaving hardship and gloom in its wake. Simon's mother has died, his brother is never home and his father, the town's pharmacist, is slowly losing the family business. Simon, feeling alone and frightened for his family, runs into a hobo named Chester who once knew Simon's Uncle, a magician named Smoky Joe. Chester introduces Simon to the world his uncle once lived in--and the magic he once possessed.