When sixteen year old Claire follows her little brother down a dark walking path in the middle of the night she finds him standing on the edge of a narrow bridge. Through the shadows she thought she saw another boy soaring through the air above him, but she wasn't sure. Afraid he was going to jump she calls out to him, but without hearing her, he takes a step off the bridge. Instead of falling, he shoots up and into the air. Claire rushes to him and reaches out over the edge of the bridge to pull him back, but losing her footing, she falls. The stranger flying overhead catches her and takes them both to the mysterious Tiger Island. The stranger, William, is a recruiter for the fairies who are indigenous to the island. The fairies started bringing boys back to the island when a pirate ship landed there and began to destroy their habitat. The fairies didn't have the manpower to fight the pirates and so they began collecting boys from earth to fight them. The war is disguised by William as an adventure game and when Claire realizes what is happening she has to fight to keep her brother safe and try to find a way back home.