The teenage son of an Appalachian single mother who dies when he is eleven uses his good looks, wit, and instincts to survive foster care, child labor, addiction, disastrous loves, and crushing losses.

Speed and self-confidence, that's Astrid's motto. Nicknamed "the little thunderbolt," she loves to spend her days racing down the hillside on her skis or sled, singing merrily as she goes, and drinking hot chocolate made from real chocolate bars with her grumpy best friend and godfather, Gunnvald. She just wishes there were other children to share in her hair-raising adventures. But her world is about to be turned upside down, first by the arrival...

A photographer and his wife are en route to the holy city of Mashad when their car breaks down in a remote village and the only male inhabitant, a teacher, helps with the repair while the wife takes over teaching the village children for the day.

A young couple find themselves stranded in the rural town of Gatlin, Nebraska, where they encounter a mysterious religious sect of children.But nowhere in town are there any adults. The horror grows to a blood-curdling climax as the two new visitors learn the horrifying secret behind the prospering corn fields.