Dean Gunnarson, world-renowned escapologist, has made a career of avoiding death. But his first escape was his greatest -- surviving juvenile leukemia. In the wake of his illness, a magic-obsessed young Dean mirrors the training of his hero Houdini in his hometown of Winnipeg. Another boy on the cancer ward, named Phil, also wants to walk in Houdini's footsteps. Together, Phil and Dean go on a quest for real, true magic that will save Philip's life. They ultimately learn magic can even surprise the magician.