Knox Gidden is a military brat, emphasis on brat. All the moving around has left the sixteen-year-old withdrawn and bitter. After a tragic prank-gone-wrong lands his brother in a wheelchair, a guilt-ridden Knox promises to clean up his act. It helps that his father has promised their final transfer to Ox-Bow, Oklahoma, will be a fresh start for everyone.But unbeknownst to the Giddens, something ancient, evil...and hungry has moved in with them.Finding an extra box after dragging all the empties to the curb typically wouldn't be cause for alarm, but this is no ordinary box. The container is made from a strange material, and its odd markings with distinctive coloring are creepy. When bizarre incidents begin to trouble the family, it's the weird kid from next door, the one with a penchant for the macabre, who is the first one to realize something unnatural has descended upon the Gidden household. The box has been playing this game for centuries, and it won't be long before it annihilates them all.The only people Knox can trust now are the ones he just met-his nerdy neighbor, the beautiful girl who watches over him, and a white-haired stranger who claims to know everything about the box and its dark purpose. They all must find a way to defeat the force before facing a hard choice: who to save, or who to sacrifice. Unfortunately, neither time nor history is on their side.