Some trips are longer and stranger than others. So far, 1997 has been a spectacularly bad year for reporter Meg Jennings -- and it's only March. Uncontrollable, debilitating visions have forced her to give up driving and take a leave of absence from her job. When her mother demands that she visit without explaining why, Meg sets aside her worries and heads for the small town of Alpine Grove. But her arrival is greeted by an empty house and no sign of Mom. Help arrives in a cherry-red classic convertible Mustang with Riley O'Shea behind the wheel and his fluffy white dog Zelda riding shotgun. Summoned by his father, Riley is disturbed to find that Dad has disappeared along with Meg's mother. Meeting his possible future step-sister for the first time, he learns that he isn't the only one who has been plagued with sensory anomalies that doctors can't explain. A cryptic note from Dad sends the threesome on a quest across the southwest US to find a mystery man who may have the answers they need. Navigating through hallucinations, malodorous bakeries, Elvis impersonators, and evil clowns forces Meg and Riley to put aside their differences and confront the secrets and conspiracies behind their parents' disappearance. Along the way, they begin to suspect that having messed up senses might not be as coincidental as they thought.