Twelve-year-old Jordan Steel moves with his family from California to the City of Materials in Ohio, where science and technology permeate all aspects of daily life. At his new school, the Roberts Academy, Jordan discovers the secret world of the Robotics Club and the awe-inspiring Robot Wars.

Even though underclassmen are rarely allowed to join the Robotics Club and participate in the Robot Wars, Jordan gets in with his new friends, the Silver triplets. They soon forge a team called the Warriors of the Old Republic. Paris is the electronics wiz and Friday is the welding guru. Goldie brings magnetics to life, and Nick is a computer ace. Together, they learn to depend on each other's strengths to build a robot to compete in the Robot Wars.

But not everyone wants an underclassman team in the Robot Wars. Jordan and his teammates can't be sure who their real friends are as they try to understand their new school, the secret Robotics Club, and their competition. Even darker than some of their competitors' intentions, however, is a secret housed in the halls of the Roberts Academy — a secret that seems drawn to Jordan and his friends.