On the east face of the Canyon del Ro Hondo there is an ancient cave known to the Mescal Indians as Moon Cave. It is a sacred place to the Mescal used for the Ceremony of the Ancients, a ceremony performed every five years rewarding the five most honored braves for their bravery and honesty. The ceremony must take place in Moon Cave because that is where the great medicine man, Owan-atan, created the magic. The reward the braves receive is the opportunity to go back in time to live among their ancestors in the old way of life. This is a great honor and the fact that there is no way back to their former lives is of no relevance to the selected braves.

But what does this mean to Denny Miller, who innocently enters Moon Cave during the 2004 ceremony and finds himself suddenly living in 1874? And what does this mean to Scott Franklin, Denny's best friend, who is determined to find out what happened to his vanished friend and help him if he can?

Scott "coerces" Cha-tah-wa, a local Mescal shaman, into taking him back to 1874 to search for Denny—and the adventure begins.