When 12-year-old Thaddeus (Day) Clawson learns the secret of the Little Sugar Creek, a secret whose existence depends on Day's efforts to protect it, he is unwittingly pushed into the role of reluctant hero. Helped by a devoted group of his Hidden Valley neighbors, Day learns how fulfilling it is to fight for something bigger than himself, but also how life-changing it is to become part of a myth. He discovers that the creeks hold magic, even in the poorer urban neighborhoods of the Deep South.