When 13-year-old Sam Winslow, his younger sister Harry, and their 12-year-old cousin Henry see a light shining in the abandoned Cedar Bay lighthouse on the southern shore of Lake Erie, real life and fantasy intersect. They find themselves drawn into an adventure in another world full of magic, old evil, and danger. Their old friend the Bo'sun, a security guard where Sam's dad works, is known as the Peregrine in this world. Here, the pirate Krakor Shark-striker has made a pact with the Demon god and the forces of good are under siege. A prophecy has foretold the coming of three in response to the evil unleashed by the pirate. Sam is sure that a mistake has been made. After all, he's just a nobody in the eighth grade. How's he going to help save a world? But when all paths seem to lead straight to Krakor Shark-striker and his ship, 'The Black Despoiler,' Sam discovers that you don't have to have magical powers to find courage and strength within yourself.