Unlike his father, Gordon Beckwith doesn't think Benedict Arnold was bum. Traitor yes, but Arnold was Washington's best commander. Gordon loves working as summer intern at the State House. Renovations in the basement of the building have unearthed a time capsule. Amidst the findings is a black key. A trip to the basement aroused feelings Gordon hoped would never resurface. Using the key, he discovers a tunnel that transports him back to Revolutionary America. There he meets Colonel Benedict Arnold in Maine on his way to invade Canada. Co-worker Kent Winslow overhears Gordon's conversation about the tunnel with their boss Doc Ott. Kent doubts this fairy tale. He seeks to discredit Gordon's claim and slips back into the past. After Kent goes missing, Ott asks Gordon to try to retrieve his rival. Ott realizes there's no guarantee Gordon will find Kent, or whether the teens will reemerge in the twenty-first century. Once Gordon ventures back, he reunites with Benedict Arnold. He must convince the general not to desert the army, find Kent, and make his way back home. The fate of America and the two boys rests with Gordon.