When Johnny Dixon and his friend Professor Childermass discover an old heirloom clock, the terror begins. The professor suddenly vanishes, and Johnny is left to solve the mystery—alone. Inside the clock Johnny discovers a miniature room, a room exactly like the one in which a murder took place long ago. And from the inside the little room Johnny pockets a tiny skull with magical powers. But taking the skull is a terrible mistake—for dark demonic forces are unleashed the minute he picks it up. Enlisting the aid of his friends Fergie and Father Higgins, Johnny embarks on a harrowing chase to a deserted island off the coast of Maine—where he must confront something more terrifying than his worst nightmares.