"Behind the white-washed walls of the compound, life was simple. Follow the rules, "live in the light," and all would be well. But on the outside, things are different. There are colors and toys and food. There are liars and darkness. And twelve-year-old Zylynn now faces a difficult decision--to stay here with the enemy or find her way back to the light. And neither may be what it seems." -- jacket.

Nancy and her friends, Bess and George, meet Joanne Byrd on a train ride home. Joanne lives at Red Gate Farm with her grandmother, but if they do not raise enough money to pay the mortgage, they will soon lose the farm! Nancy, Bess, and George decide to stay at Red Gate for a week as paying customers. Soon, they learn about the strange group of people who rent a cave on the property. They describe themselves as a nature cult called the Black Snake...

Gabe and his friends are challenged to use the powers of the five elements to destroy Arcadia and prevent a sinister cult from tearing down the barrier between the worlds.