Two boys from the small farming town of Riding, Vermont, realize that they have unique abilities that set them apart. Cooper, who lives with good loving parents on a farm on the outskirts of town, has remarkable strength. He can also sense other peoples' thoughts. But this power is too much for him and he shuts down. He cannot even speak. Coupe is a street-wise kid with a deadbeat mother. He has been forced to survive on his own and has also been the victim of horrible sexual abuse. He has extra keen senses and incredible dexterity but is also hampered by a badly damaged foot. He also has the ability to feel Cooper sensing him. He is the only one that can do that. These two outsiders form a strong bond, especially after Cooper saves Coupe from his ongoing abuse. Coupe helps Cooper control his powers and can shield him from the noise of other peoples’ thoughts.Together, and with Cooper's parents, they begin to unravel the world of hurt that Coupe has experienced. But Coupe is also receiving unwanted attention from the police who note a strong resemblance between Coupe and someone else who is abducting people. As Coupe and Cooper’s family form a strong family bond, the boys are abducted and taken to a strange medical campus in the backwoods of Maine, fondly named by its inhabitants “Deep Woods Academy”. Here they learn just why they have such unique abilities. They were genetically designed to have those abilities. They meet the man who designed them, Dr. Steven Stein. They also learn that they are not alone and that they have siblings who were created at the same time as them. In fact they learn that they have genetically identical twins. It is Coupe’s twin, Chase, who has fled Deep Woods Academy and is attempting to erase all of Dr. Stein’s good work by abducting and killing his genetic creations. But now he knows Cooper and Coupe are back on the campus. Chase returns to the campus intent on killing them all. Cooper and Coupe are able to defeat Chase. In the process they learn that the power the two teens have together are far greater than anyone – including Dr. Stein – ever would have surmised. As a result he decides it is not safe for them or for others for them to leave the campus. The boys’ final struggle involves convincing Dr. Stein that they are not a threat and should be allowed to return to their home in Vermont.