While on a summer vacation in Japan, Justin Toshi Blackwood attends a lavish twenty-first birthday party for his cousin Kaito Saito. The two young men share a great-grandfather and soon realize they have each inherited a family heirloom with one receiving a folding knife and the other a pocket watch. After discovering that the knife opens a secret compartment in the old watch containing a tiny hidden map, they hike out it into the forest to locate a jar containing Nine Stones. Each grayish-blue river rock has an animal engraved on one side and a location etched in kanji on the other. So begins a Pacific-leaping scavenger hunt where they must collaborate their efforts during supernatural encounters and recover remarkable objects of importance. Along the way, they unite with Justin's sister Melia and new friend Yori as the four companions try to unlock a magical family secret. Written as a twisty travelogue, this contemporary fictional tale is like nothing you have read before. Fresh, vibrant, and original.