Joe is not your average ten year old. He was zapped to life when a bolt of lightning struck a photo of a missing boy in a Victorian newspaper, leaving him with newspaper skin that changes to reveal clues to his past. He now lives a secret life at the recycling plant under the care and friendship of Jeremiah Newton and his niece, Lucy. Joe’s life seems dull and without purpose until he meets a stray dog called Clemmie and a special bond is formed, proving that dogs really are boy’s best friend. But when this attachment is threatened, Joe makes drastic and dangerous plans to mirror his own creation in a huge lightening storm.