A corrupt corporation crosses swords with a man possessing uncanny superpowers in this sci-fi thriller from New York Times–bestselling author Alan Dean Foster.

Old Jake Pickett is an unusual man whose mind-over-matter abilities can reduce bullets and buildings to dust and rubble. But he prefers using his "magic" to entertain the poor kids in his neighborhood near the chemical dumpsite, and to communicate telepathically with his disabled niece, Amanda.

Pickett lives in a valley near Riverside, California, that has become ground zero for tons of putrid toxic waste, courtesy of a corporate cover up. The company's executives have employed most of the people who live above the valley, paying them to keep quiet to any government agents investigating the area.

Jake has no interest in taking corporate money, but when the people who work there discover his strange talents, they see him as someone who can make them even more profit.