He never came home from the school trip . . . Eight-year-old Pepper sees the world a little differently from most people. One day, during a school field trip, Pepper is kidnapped by a stranger and driven to rural Arkansas. The man, who calls himself "Uncle Dan," claims that Pepper's mother has died and they are to live together from now on—but the boy isn't convinced. Pepper always found it hard to figure out when people are lying, but he's absolutely certain his mother is alive, and he's going to find her.