Charlie Patterson is an exceptionally bright, twelve-year-old boy, with no close friends. He spends most weekends in the company of his great-grandfather, G'pa Joe, and most weekdays trying his best to be invisible. This year, however, promises to be different. This year, all of Charlie's dreams will begin to come true - in more ways than he had hoped.Charlie's entire summer has been filled with increasingly disturbing dreams. Most feature a strange, dark-haired girl, who watches, but does not speak. Her name is Robin LeBeaux, a lovely seventh grader from New Mexico with a tragic past, and she is quite real. Despite Charlie's insistent logic, and Robin's enthusiastic illogic, they become fast friends. Together, guided by Robin's deceased sister, they discover a singular talent - the ability to walk into and influence others' dreams.Lurking amidst fanciful images of fur-covered dragons, deserts of colored glass, distorted history, and strange beings, there is a growing darkness in the dream world, the Stream. Within that darkness, G'pa Joe has become the Stream's latest victim, lost in a confusing world of nightmares masquerading as memories. Charlie and Robin are determined to find G'pa Joe and bring him back, no matter the cost. There is but one small problem: the dark Lord Siri, ruler of the Stream, has other plans for the dream world … and Charlie.