Once a Mecca for gold miners, Leadville, Colorado has become a quiet family community. But all of that is about to change.

The local mining company has determined that old man Hawkins mine can produce gold again. Its re-opening is sad news to four boys for whom the mine has become a playground.

Stephen Carter and his friends make a final expedition to the mine. A fall from a ledge leaves Stephen critically injured. The decision to leave him and go for help is difficult for his friends, but so grave is Stephen's injury that the boys are afraid he might die.

What they find upon their return puzzles them to the depths of their souls. Something unexplainable has happened to Stephen. He is not the same boy he was an hour earlier.

Strange events will occur, and relationships are about to change. Many lives will be in harm's way, and the residents of Leadville don't know it, but their very survival lies in the hands of a twelve year old boy.