Rattlesnakes, howling coyotes, sudden earthquakes and time warps jar the Lewis family in their new home, and all the bizarre incidents seem linked to the Hellenbecks, their weird next-door neighbors.

An elderly couple have never stopped believing that their daughter, who went missing in the woods 40 years ago, will somehow appear to them one last time before they die.

When Alan Webster's parents tell him that they have to move, the 17-year-old student is understandably upset - but not nearly as much as when he learns their destination is the planet Alturus, 85 billion miles away.