When Robbie Walker's father dies of cancer, he takes out his anger on anyone near. In the hope of saving what remains of their family, Robbie's mother sends him off to spend the summer holidays on Uncle Jim's farm where his father grew up. There, in a hidden valley that his father once called Paradise, Robbie discovers a new friend — a creature thought extinct for more than a hundred years. But others also visit Paradise: wildlife thieves whose only interest is to get rich through this new animal. Soon Robbie is caught up in a dangerous adventure that takes him to the sulphur-encrusted steam fields of White Island volcano — a place where death is always close at hand. Robbie must use all his knowledge, courage and wit to save his new friend ... and also himself.