The reader will find Ty, the main character, underwater at his family's subsea farm. He is an inquisitive character with a penchant for trouble; he's searching around in the first couple of chapters and runs into a town...underwater, its residents forced to a watery grave.

The finding is a huge mystery; Ty knows he must attempt to solve it. However, he gets in a lot of danger for his troubles-dragging his topsider friend, Gemma, with him. Ty's parents can't help him; they've been abducted by the very township they planned to sell their harvest from their subsea farm to! Ty and Gemma are in a race against the clock to solve this mystery and avoid the evil sea creatures, Seaguard officers, outlaws, and "serfs."

Ty is a fun character to read about. He is always doing something relatively exciting; the reader will not be bored. Gemma is the calmer, serene character; she is a perfect foil for Ty, who tends to listen to his impulses. They balance each other out just enough to make this mystery succeed. The events are very fast-paced and there are plenty of "close-call" scenes. The plot is highly intriguing and should interest any teen/young adult who enjoys mysteries with a few twists thrown in.