Rachel, one of the Earth teenagers dedicated to stopping the parasitic alien race known as the Yeerks, is horrified when she finds herself split into two nearly identical girls.

Jake's father wants the whole family to go to their great-grandfather's funeral, a trip of three or four days. This is a problem for the Yeerk that controls Jake's brother Tom, who can't be away from the Yeerk pool for that long. The Yeerk will do anything to survive, including killing Jake's father.

When Jake has to leave town for a family thing, the other Animorphs and Ax figure life will pretty much be normal until he gets back. But when Tobias discovers Visser Three's newest feeding place, the kids decide they have to check it out. But there's no assigned leader. Who will be the best one for the job? Being in chare isn't just guts and glory. It's about making decisions that will mean the difference between life ... and death.