Ernie Goodman is left hopeless when his mother commits suicide just days before Christmas. With an absent father and a neighborhood buzzing with gossip, Ernie is left to face the horrors of middle school—and the relentless bullying of Jason Tanner—all on his own. The cause of his mother's death drives him to find the Moravian Enigma: an elusive treasure stolen by the British and restored by George Washington's troops in the Battle of Brandywine. It hasn't been seen for centuries, and many view it as mere folklore. Ernie's mother, however, was always a believer. The treasure consumed her thoughts, and when she failed to uncover it, she lost her purpose in life. To finish what his mother started, unearth the stolen loot, and—most importantly—put an end to the rumors circulating his family, Ernie sets out to find the hidden treasure. His best friend, Bobby Donatelli, joins him in uncovering journals of Revolutionary soldiers, deciphering coded messages, and embarking on a modern-day scavenger hunt through the Lehigh Valley. If Ernie can pull this off, he'll make history—and maybe save his family, too.
