While celebrating his 21st birthday, Darren Wilson and his sister Rachel are shocked when what looks like a meteor crashes down at the lake outside of their hometown. The boulder is carrying microscopic parasites (later called the Givers) that latch onto humans and grant them each a unique superhuman ability. The strange events become stranger when two princes from another world appear. While one of them is determined to stop the person who sent the Givers, the other is more interested in running away from home. Darren surprises even himself when he elects to help him keep running.