Thirteen-year-old Nicholas Hudson is sitting on his bed, bored with his life when he discovers a hidden chamber behind his fireplace. In this small room is an old wizard who sends him through a magical door to a land called Tovenaar with the mission of finding the lost children of this land. Tovenaar, once peaceful under the protection of the Great Wizards is now held captive by the evil Pelaygros whom the Tovenaarans suspect of taking the children. While on his quest, Nicholas encounters many strange creatures, both good and evil. Though he is frightened and unsure, he faces his task with courage and wisdom.

Along with many other families from the East, Joseph and Molly Malone and their good friends, Frank and Laura Stephenson, had moved west with their children to the newly-formed Kansas Territory. As the people attempted to form a state, violence erupted between the new territory and her pro-slavery neighbor, Missouri. It was a difficult life, fraught with hardships which often forced people to move back East. Joseph and Molly, who had come from wealthy families, were committed to building their new lives and raising their children without the social encumbrances they had left behind. Surviving the years of "Bleeding Kansas" while the new state was formed, proved only to be the beginning. By the time Kansas was admitted to the Union as a free state, several southern states had already succeeded. The citizens of Kansas were once more embroiled in violence; this time on a much larger scale.