Thirteen-year-old New Yorker Rory Hennessy can see things no one else can. When a magician's trick opens his eyes to Mannahatta, Rory finds an amazing spirit city coexisting alongside modern-day Manhattan. A place where Indian sachems, warrior cockroaches, and papier-mâché children live, ruled by the immortal Gods of Manhattan?including Babe Ruth, Alexander Hamilton, and Peter Stuyvesant. But Rory's power to see Mannahatta brings danger, and he is pursued by enemies, chasing history and trying to free those who have been enslaved. And when he is given the chance to right Mannahatta's greatest wrong, seeing Mannahatta may not be a gift after all. . . .

Rory has known about Mannahatta'the spirit world filled with the 'gods' who ruled New York City in its early days' only a month when an earthquake strikes. This is no ordinary earthquake, though - it is the island's attempt at breaking the Trap around Central Park. The Trap must open or the balance between Mannahatta and Manhattan will be destroyed - and only Rory can open it. But it will take help from Rory's newfound friends, including the band of children of the gods - aka the Rattle Watch - and encounters with some of New York's famous figures, including Washington Irving, Captain Kidd, and Bill the Butcher, to help him figure out how to do that. And the answer may just surprise him. . . .

War is brewing in Mannahatta - the spirit city that coexists with Manhattan - as the truce between the Munsee Indians and the Gods begins to crack. Villain Willem Kieft is building an army against the Munsees, and Rory - the only person who can see both worlds - and his friends are trying to stop him. But despite their efforts, the city draws closer to the ultimate final battle. The question is, will Rory be able to restore order to the city, or will his attempt to save everyone fail?