If it's in this world, it's in this book. Killmaiden's Compendium of Uncommon Occurrences has deployed Explorers on expeditions to uncover the beauty and dark mysteries of the Wide World for over 500 years. Twelve-year old Scout, Alexander Drake, has gone on many missions for the Compendium, but none as important as this one. He's going to find his father if he has to cross the Wide World to do it. He's taking his younger sister, their governess and an unexpected stowaway on his desperate assignment. Their journey will be one of the Compendium's greatest stories, if only they can return to tell it.