Robert doesn't expect much from the summer of his fifteenth year. Abandoned by his foster parents, left behind by his friends, he's prepared to spend much of his time dreaming about the world outside. But then a strange milkman appears at his house, offering him an opportunity that's unlike anything his mind ever conjured-a safari to an exotic faraway land called Santania, which is not on any map. There, they'll deliver medicine to a disease-ridden population and perhaps look for some stolen diamonds¿if they can avoid the diabolical and power-mad doctor who lords over the country's frightened population. On this adventure through the most beautiful and unforgiving of lands, Robert will find danger, intrigue, and romance, and discover the meaning of true friendship and self-reliance. Robert's fifteenth summer might just be the most incredible and awakening one yet . . . if he only has the courage to take that first step.