The series begins with Time stopping the world over, except for a young boy named Max Quick. Soon, he discovers that he is not alone -- and that he is thousands of years old, but with no memory of his life before the present day. Several riddles of the classical antiquity collide with Max's present, setting the stage for the series.

On August 20, 2009 it was announced that HarperCollins had purchased the print rights to the first book in the series and that a hardcover edition would be released in May, 2011.