Ty swears he has seen a pirate. But how can that be, today, in the here and now? He becomes the man's lackey in hopes of discovering clues to the stranger's identity. What he discovers is The Manifest and Captain's Log, an ancient tome that, when altered, changes history and our recollection of it. First time out the book heals the supposed pirate's eye. The second time, the man's lame leg is cured but the teens learn that in the process they killed the man's younger brother. They swear to never touch The Manifest again but Ty's mischievous older brother, Ryan, has other plans. The end result is a town overrun by a scourge of grotesques. It is up to the members of the Cyrkle to rely on one another if they are to save their seaside town, and in turn, the very existence of our world.