Hoot Hart loves to explore the wooded hills behind his house. While other kids are inside playing video games or down at the baseball field, the twelve-year-old climbs nearby Saddle Mountain and searches for adventure. One day, he finds it!
It begins when Hoot hears a mysterious voice asking for help in a small clearing. He initially thinks it must be another hiker, but the voice seems to be coming
from the ground
, repeating the same phrase: "Help me, Hoot."
This encounter gives Hoot a strangely familiar feeling and a new goal. He needs to help the voice, but how?
Hoot starts to think like an explorer. With the help of his grandfather Jolly Jack and his grandpa's bandmates at the local ranch, Hoot begins unraveling the mystery of Saddle Mountain. Gypsies, the school bully, and a particularly friendly owl all play surprising roles. The voice in the clearing is somehow connected to the history of his small California gold-rush town and its original settlers.
As Hoot begins to get closer to discovering the voice's true identity, he must be very careful. There is someone on Saddle Mountain who wants to keep the secret buried forever...someone who isn't above making trouble for Hoot and his family!