All is well in Gabriel's Gully, the ramshackle gold rush town. But not for long. Michael and Atarangi have become firm friends with Siu, a Chinese miner's daughter who came to the schoolhouse to learn. But when bad news from the coast draws their parents away, things take a shocking turn. Disaster strikes, and sinister faces from the past reappear. Michael, Atarangi, and Siu have little choice but to take action, despite the danger it will put them in. But will their courage, intelligence, and special powers be enough to overcome the evil forces threatening them?