Young Sam McGuffin stows away on Santa's sleigh one Christmas Eve, intending to visit the North Pole, but instead he discovers the secret island paradise where Santa and his elves vacation every year when their work is done.

Chief medical examiner Kay Scarpetta of Richmond, Virginia, investigates a body found in a ship's container from Europe. A tattoo on the body sends her flying to Interpol headquarters in Lyon, France, where she learns of a killer known as The Werewolf.

Late one night, Slipper the cat awakens to find a furry-booted man in her home and, like any curious cat would, climbs into his big red sack.

"The only life Tress has known on her island home in an emerald-green ocean has been a simple one, with the simple pleasures of collecting cups brought by sailors from faraway lands and listening to stories told by her friend Charlie. But when his father takes him on a voyage to find a bride and disaster strikes, Tress must stow away on a ship and seek the Sorceress of the deadly Midnight Sea. Amid the spore oceans where pirates abound, can Tress...