The main character is Carl Atkinson, a 10 year old boy who runs away from his family to get away from his depression. Living in the forest for five years does him in when he finds a glistening egg at the foot of a tree. What seems to be a fantasy becomes reality when the egg hatches, starting the war that would leave humans shocked to find out that dragons do, in fact, exist. Fearing the worst, Carl hides the dragon deep in the forest and has second thoughts about whether or not to flee. Staying there only sparks the war, and pretty soon Carl finds out that it takes a little more than a 15 year old boy to stop it.
