Electric lights, telephones, and other new inventions are making life easier, and a lot more fun, for Judith Fisk and her cousin, Abe Stevenson. But Abe's father criticizes his son's fascination with science, and Judith's father doesn't seem to notice her now that there's a new baby in the house. In their changing world, what can Abe and Judith do to make their fathers understand them? And when Judith disappears, will Abe be able to find her before it's too late?