To his three friends, Henry Talbot, age 11, is something of an anachronism! Where Chris Loader collects bubblegum cards, Malcolm Wheeler Matchbox cars, and Sean Lister stamps and coins; Henry collects knowledge of the past from his six aged friends, writing it down in his journal - his book of yesterdays, he calls it. But other than that Henry is just a normal kid sharing many common bonds with his three friends, one of which is a profound interest in the UFO phenomenon.
Not one of the four has ever had a sighting in and about their hometown of Riverton, country New South Wales - nor a sighting anywhere else, if it comes to that! However, during the first week of the 2011 Easter school holidays, Henry, his three friends, and the two visiting cousins of Sean Lister - Kelly and Ryan Hunter, go on a camping trip to the nearby Riverton National Park, setting up camp close to the base of Raven Mountain - a virtual hot-spot for UFO activity in the area, in the hope of having a sighting - and a sighting they will have. A sighting that will turn out to be one close encounter too close, in fact.