When sixteen-year-kid Emily first reads about the serpentine belt in her father's diary, she is sure it is magical. Something as special as the lighthouse at Cape Byron where she and her best friend Kat meet regularly in their imaginations. It seems to offer a way through a maze of puzzles for Emily. It has the power to unravel history and weave it together again. It can heal pain, smooth over differences and keep those she loves close to her. With it she can resurrect her grandmother, rediscover her father and be with Kat forever.
And she watches and thinks about the mysteries in the lives of those around her, however, she discovers, almost in spite of herself, that the serpentine belt's deepest secret is no secret after all . . .