Buddy Pennington is headed to river country. No one in his village will miss him anyway -- not even his mom, after what he and his bad luck did. He'll be better off with his daddy, Davey Boy Pennington, a wandering soul who has the best luck of anyone Buddy knows. Pop might even teach Buddy his legendary skills at Parsnit, a mysterious card game of magic, chance, and above all, storytelling. No one tells a better story than Pop. But no sooner are Buddy and his pop reunited than some of Pop's old enemies arrive to take him away. Boss Authority, the magical crime lord who has terrorized the river for years, is ready to collect on an old debt Davey Boy owes him. Now Buddy must set out on a dangerous rescue mission, learning to play Parsnit with the best of them as he goes. Because the stars are aligning for one last epic duel -- one that will require a sticky-fingered ally, a lucky twist of fate, and the hand of a lifetime. And in this game, you're only as strong as the story you tell.