Life is good, if mundane, in Olympic Vista. Twelve-year-old Adelaide Winter and her friends spend most of their time biking around or hanging out in the Pacific Northwest town. Crushes, troubles at home, and the latest music or comic book release are their biggest concerns. Sure, there are rumblings of what happens at the secure research and development facility locals call The Link, but the adults about town assure the children there is nothing to worry about. And adults never lie, do they?

Darius Belcouer's arrival in the summer of 1986 changes everything. When Darius suggests they explore a haunted house, the group finds more than they bargained for. Middle of the night bike rides, mad scientists, and secret agents prove a welcome distraction from troubled home lives, but danger lurks around every corner as Darius and Adelaide uncover the depths of the mystery the small town is hiding.