As if being able to travel through space-time isn't problem enough, 17 year-old Orli Nesbit has fallen in love with her best friend, Simon MacLean. She may be head over heels for her "WOW" Simon, but he's sending mixed signals, romancing her socks off, then ignoring her the next day. Does he or doesn't he feel the same way about her? In the midst of sorting out her love life, the Chronos Institute where Orli lives with 44 additional Children of Time, is devastated by an earthquake, Simon shows up in the nick of time to rescue her from a collapsing stairwell. But something goes wrong. They are unable to return to the pre-quake school to warn their classmates. With each attempt to "rift" back in time they end up on strange worlds scattered throughout the multiverse. Soon they find themselves in danger, pursued by a mad scientist determined to capture the two time travelers. As things go from bad to worse, Orli begins to wonder if Simon is really Simon. And if he's not, who is he?