A mysterious message on a scrap of paper. A shadowy group whose motives are unclear. A political struggle that pits friend against friend, neighbor against neighbor, and father against son.Eleven-year-old Benjamin Pembroke's safe, sheltered life is turned upside-down when he meets a strange boy who becomes an unlikely friend in troubling times. Unfortunately, Benjamin has no way of knowing that his future, as well as the future of his country, will be changed forever.