Joshua Sharpe is being terrorized by a giant tree creature with snake-like limbs capable of snatching stars right out of the night sky and yet no one in his family believes him. Almost every night the enormous monster comes right up to his window, shakes the house, and tries to grab him from under the covers where he hides sweating and shaking from absolute terror. His only comforts are his invisible friends who warn him when the creature is enraged, tell him where to hide and whom to trust. If it were not for his friends, Joshua would be all alone. And so he does everything he can to keep them around—including throwing his medication out the window.But Josh's condition worsens and when his friends suggest he jump from his window, he is hospitalized. There he meets another boy with schizophrenia, and he and Michael become fast friends, both determined to escape and make a life for themselves. He and Michael learn to survive outside on their own without medication, discovering the meaning of true friendship and the unexpected truth that there is only one place where they will be truly safe—the Angel Tree.