Atherton is made of three concentric realms, with one land rising high above the next, separated by treacherous cliffs. Edgar, a gifted climber, is looking for a treasure hidden in the perilous cliffs, the key to which is lost in the faded memory of his mysterious past. Obsessively scaling the sheer rock wall above the humble fig grove--though it is forbidden--he finally reaches the Highlands. There he meets Samuel from the House of Power, and together they begin to unlock the mysteries of Atherton via a book which contains the history of the world's formation and ultimate apocalyptic destiny--until those who covet the Book of Secrets put the boys' lives at serious risk. Edgar soon learns that he must confront an unspeakable danger. In the end, an even more startling revelation about the future surfaces: The world is about to be turned inside out--literally.
