One summer. One game. One chance to become the hero of his own story.

It’s 1986 and John Brewer spends his days working and saving for college. His weekends, though, are filled with terrifying monsters, deadly battles, and dark mysteries as he leads his friends through an epic Dungeons & Dragons adventure.

But life outside the game is far more complicated. A horrific farming accident puts people on edge; Henley is a demanding boss hell-bent on making John’s life miserable; rancid small-town rumors create suspicion, and a local evangelist believes D&D is “the devil’s work.”

With both of his worlds—real and imaginary—under attack, will John find the courage to fight back? Is he willing to put his very life on the line?