Fourteen-year-old Billy Davis is mystery and suspense writer Stephen Michaels's number one fan. He's read all of his books and would love nothing more than to meet him. When Billy goes to the library to pick up Stephen's latest novel, he stumbles upon something that will change his life forever. It's an old journal that Stephen wrote as a kid, hidden in one of the bookshelves. Billy reads it, discovering it contains journal entries, book notes, and never-before-published short stories. Thinking it's his best and only chance to meet his favorite author, he takes the journal to Stephen, who lives in a huge mansion just outside of town. Billy knows that Stephen values his privacy, and never allows visitors into the house. But when he finds out Billy has his old journal, he allows him to come inside. But Billy realizes that Stephen is much different than he expected, and the things that happen in Stephen's books aren't all fictional. Terrible events happen in the mansion, and Billy soon finds himself forced to fight for his life.