ORPHAN CLOCK KEEPER & THIEF twelve-year-old Hugo lives in the walls of a busy Paris train station where his survival depends on secrets & anonymity. But when his world suddenly interlocks with an eccentric girl & her grandfather Hugo's undercover life & his most precious secret are put in jeopardy. A cryptic drawing a treasured notebook a stolen key a mechanical man & a hidden message from Hugo's dead father form the backbone of this intricate tender & spellbinding mystery.