Publisher's Synopsis
While at the market with his father, an adopted boy is approached by a mysterious beggar who gives him a strange, seemingly cursed amulet. On their way home from the market, the father and son are attacked by evil beings who attempt to take the amulet back. All is quiet until one stormy night when the boy notices the old oak tree by the cottage has been struck by lightning, split open, and cast in a ghastly green glow. A small man standing by the trunk beckons him, and the boy is sent into a strange, magical world through the portal.
A new friend, the last of his kind, helps the boy through many strange and dangerous adventures as they try to find their way home. They meet another human boy held captive by shadow monsters, a troll who would like to have them for dinner, and a dwarf who helps them escape. The boy's true ancestors come to light as he is pursued by a treasure-thirsty dragon… unbeknownst to him, an even darker foe follows suit, seeking the cursed amulet.
