When David, a 10-year-old American boy, is brought by his archeologist father to the rain forests of Guatemala in search of an ancient and previously unexplored Mayan city, the last thing he expects is to meet the Mayan god of children and to be carried back in time more than a thousand years to when the city is facing destruction from the Alliance of all the other Mayan cities of the region, under the rule of a power-hungry despot who aims to unite Mayadom under his cruel rule. With the help of the god of children, known as the Liffy, and the young son of the city's war-chief, David confronts the priests of the city who consider him a white-skinned demon. When the city's army is defeated in battle by the Alliance and the war-chief and his son are captured, David is seized by the priests as a sacrifice to appease the god. Saved by the Liffy, boy and god set out on a journey through the jungles of Mayadom to the city of Tikal, center of the Alliance, to rescue their friends. After tricking the priests and ruler of Tikal and winning the traditional Mayan ball game against Tikal's greatest players (by utilizing David's modern basket-ball abilities), the war-chief is able to escape and rally his warriors for a great victory over the Alliance. The Liffy tells David it is time to return to his own time after saving the city, but his memory will remain in Mayan legend as the white-skinned stranger who came to help them in their hour of greatest need.