This time the Gears begin in the northeastern region of North America known now as New York and Ontario, where nine years earlier an important child was born. His name is Rumbler, though the Elders call him "Manitou Child", the name the prophets gave him when they foretold the birth of this one of power. As he nears maturity, many greedy warriors covet the young boy as a weapon to use against their enemies. But none are as ruthless as War Leader Jumping Badger, who murders the boy's mother and burns their village to the ground.

Stealing the power child was bloody, but easy enough. Holding onto him is proving to be more than Jumping Badger and his whole village can handle. His warriors are dying one at a time, and it is not long before Rumbler escapes into the frozen forests with the help of 12-year-old Wren, a village girl who has befriended him.

A desperate race begins as Jumping Badger pursues the children across the winter landscape of New York and Ontario. He fears the boy's power now and seeks only to kill him. The pair's only hope is to stay alive long enough to find Rumbler's legendary father, known only as "The Disowned".