"When a stick is broken, it cannot be made whole again." --- a Modoc Indian saying Long ago, visitors from the stars came to Earth and landed in an isolated valley in a place that would later be called Northern California. They came on a cosmic version of a walkabout, a rite of passage that pitted a young alien against the brave Modoc Indian tribe. Things didn't go the way they planned.... Now they come again. On a lonely winter night in that same valley, the city of Sconchin falls under siege by aliens on a mission of revenge. In a single night of chaos, it falls to the town's young people to piece together the unfolding events and develop a plan to save their lives and the life of their town. In this edgy science fiction tale, classic themes mingle with new surprises to create a thrilling story of survival.