Thirteen-year-old Brian Robeson, the only passenger on a small plane from Hampton, New York, to the northern woods of Canada, boards the plane excited at the prospect of flying in a single-engine plane . Once the novelty of the experience has worn off, Brian goes back to thinking about his parents' recent divorce. Brian recalls his parents' arguments and his hatred of lawyers who try to blithely explain to him how the divorce will affect his life. What Brian calls "The Secret" also enters his consciousness, and at this point we don't know what "The Secret" refers to. Brian feels the sting of tears welling up in his eyes, but he doesn't cry, making sure to shield his eyes from the pilot, whose name Brian can't exactly remember. She suspects it's Jim or Jake, a man in his forties who has remained virtually silent on the trip. Seeing Brian marvel at the intricacy of the control panel in front of him, the pilot offers him the chance to fly the plane himself. Initially reluctant, Brian rejects the offer. At the pilot's insistence, he takes the wheel and for a few minutes has complete control of the plane. The pilot notices a pain in his shoulder as Brian once again recalls the details of the divorce. Brian's father knows that his mother wants a divorce, but his father has no idea why nor is he in favor of the separation. The court decided that Brian will live with his mother during the school year and with his father during the summer. The plane jolts, snapping Brian out of his thoughts. He notices the smell of body gas in the plane and assumes that the pilot had a stomach ache. He also appears to be experiencing increasing pain in his shoulder and arm. With the divorce a month behind him, Brian is heading north to visit his father and bring him some special equipment from New York. A mechanical engineer, his father perfected a new drill bit for oil drilling. Brian remembers the long flight from the city to Hampton, during which Brian's mother tried to get him to tell her what was wrong, but he felt he couldn't tell her that he knew "the secret." When they arrived in Hampton, his mother gave him a hatchet to use in the woods during the summer. Sensing that his mother was feeling particularly vulnerable, Brian had humored her by clipping the ax to his belt, where it remained for the duration of the plane ride...