Twelve-year-old Steve Silver is an average kid, just trying to survive middle school. He's a video game connoisseur who takes pride in knowing something about everything in the video game world . . . yet he's never heard of Pirate Raiders. His questions about the game result in stern warnings from Jerry, owner of the local video game store, and when Steve's friends act strangely after binging on the game, something sinister seems afoot. Meanwhile, pirates are popping up around the world, wreaking havoc--even in Steve's small city. He sees a connection between the game and the pirates. After his friends go missing, he learns the truth. Now Steve, Jerry, and Esperanza, Steve's middle-school crush, must enter the game, rescue his missing friends, and stop the pirate epidemic before it's too late.