The cave at Mount Bonnell, not far from the school Hannah, Nick, and Jackie attend in Austin, has attracted many visitors over the years, from Indians to Boy Scouts to historic re-enactors. But when Jackie’s grandfather takes the trio there on an impromptu excursion, they meet a traveller of an entirely different sort: explorer Elijah Barrington—ancestor of their formidable history teacher—who has arrived there from the past. And accompanying him is a trunk that looks oddly familiar.

A slam of the trunk’s lid Translator ports the girls into a melee of swirling hoof beats and bright war paint. Before they know it, they’ve been taken captive by Comanche warriors in a raid on Victoria, Texas, in 1840. Hannah is forced into servitude, while Jackie is adopted as a daughter. As they learn about life among the natives and participate reluctantly in another raid, Nick races east from Mount Bonnell on horseback in the company of Bigfoot Wallace, Jack Hays, and other Texas Rangers.

In a fast-paced adventure infused with the fascinating cultural and historical details Melodie Cuate’s stories are known for, her latest instalment pits the old order against the new as they square off in the Battle of Plum Creek—and make friends in unexpected places.