One night late in May a tiny fragment of a distant planet miraculously finds its way into the duct work of a hospital near Princeton, New Jersey. The unearthly meteorite bounces and rolls until it drops into an open incubator temporarily holding two boys born on the same day, Eli Trenton and Thom Raritan. Unnoticed, the cosmically charged nugget lands between the newborns' shoulders and permanently marks them before vaporizing. The boys go home to live their separate lives. Eli comes from a long line of athletic men. His grandfather played in the NFL and his father won an Olympic bronze medal. He longs to follow in their footsteps but his small size frustrates every attempt. This frustration causes Eli to lash-out at his schoolmates making him socially unpopular. His grades also suffer. Thom's parents are accomplished academics; but his dyslexia and ADHD make him doubt he'll ever exceed scholastically. Being home schooled his parents worry their shy son isn't developing his social skills. Both boys' parents decide to send them to a summer camp before they begin high school. A fourteen year old Eli and Thom arrive at Camp Shapontek in the Pine Barrens. A disastrous encounter with a bully causes Eli to be reassigned to Thom's cabin. Unaware of their cosmic past, the boys are intrigued to learn they have mirror image birthmarks on their shoulders. When they press their birthmarks together an intense reaction knocks them both unconscious. Upon awaking they discover they have been changed. Eli finally had the growth spurt he had been longing for. Thom's mind is suddenly clear and focused. Through trial and error they learn they actually attain temporarily super-powers each time they connect. How will all this affect the developing friendship between the suspicious Thom and the ambitious Eli? While at camp Thom also becomes infatuated with a local girl named Lizzy. She tells him about the centuries old legend of the Loyalists' Lode. A group of colonists loyal to King George buried their valuables for safekeeping during the American Revolution. Hoping to impress Lizzy, Thom convinces Eli to use their new abilities to find the treasure; but they aren't the only ones looking for it. In an exciting climax, the boys clash with their murderous adversary during a voracious storm. Only later do they discover the storm has taken their abilities to the next level.