Jake and Archie have finally earned enough trust to be allowed to guard Professor Xandiver’s secret laboratory all by themselves. It’s a great honor, an extraordinary privilege. Who would’ve guessed it’d be so boring. They become careless, and disaster strikes. A dark figure mysteriously appears in the middle of the cavern laboratory and steals a small device from a nearby desk. Then, just as quickly as he appeared, the thief suddenly vanishes. Jake and Archie are determined to capture the thief and recover what was stolen. Their quest takes them and their friends through the travel portals to a distant land where they face giant panthers, raging whirlpools, and trees who were once men. Here, they meet the caretaker of the Forest of Faces. They also run into another band of Xandi warriors, but these warriors seem to want them dead. In order to accomplish their goal, Jake and his friends must decide who they will trust. Are the Xandi that live there really as evil as the Gardener claims, or is their new companion not the innocent victim he says he is? And what is in the dark bunker that is rumored to contain the world’s most powerful weapon? Who should they help? Who should they fight? The wrong decision could mean the end of the world.