It is summer in Tanner, WV. Miller Brown will turn 12-years old, a magical age for any boy. Guided by the resident town ghost, Miller and his friends set off on a journey of adventure and discovery, through abandoned factories, an asylum for the insane, and the local library. They jump a sentient coal train and ride for miles down perilous tracks. They free a teacher from the asylum, watch a dreadful baseball game, confront a deadly beast on its own territory, and attend the fabulous annual Kite Day. They take on Doctor Death. Love begins to bloom. It is the last best summer of their lives.