The Florida Everglades are dying, and twelve-year-old Kat may be the key to their survival.   But Kat doesn’t care about that.  Her Mom has been missing for a year–that’s enough to be worried about.  Her life is further turned upside down when a huge alligator appears on her doorstep.   Kat can’t explain it, but she knows she was able to communicate with the reptile.

Things get even stranger when elderly family friend Miss Lilly shows up and asks to take her to a mysterious retreat hidden deep in the heart of the Everglades.   Kat’s Mom, a wildlife biologist, was last seen there investigating the decline of threatened species.  Kat doesn’t want to go with this strange old lady, but she agrees hoping to find Mom.  Once there, Kat learns about secrets her family has kept for years.   She realizes the nightmares that have plagued her are more than just bad dreams—in fact, they may be warnings of dangers she’s about to face.