Fred Brown, the 17-year-old son of German immigrants, is a whiz-kid. In June 1940, U.S. government agents recruit him to spy on Nazi Germany under the alias Frederich "Zelly" Zellner. His mistakes quickly catch the suspicion of Gestapo agent Stengler, and an unexpected discovery reveals that everything he knows about his life and family is an elaborate lie. As the Germans enlist Fred to design and build V-2 rockets, he's caught between two competing goals - making them fly and stopping them to save Allied lives. Can he do both while avoiding Stengler's traps?

When World War II began in 1939, the U.S. was unprepared in intelligence and espionage. Experts didn't believe an American could survive in Germany's ruthless fascist police state, but they made an unofficial attempt with a Texan teenager. Stuck in Fredericksburg, Texas with his German-immigrant parents, Fred Brown longs for more than life on a farm. In June of 1940, a week after his high school graduation, unofficial government agents recruit him to spy in Nazi Germany under the alias of Frederich "Zelly" Zellner. Arriving in Europe nearly a year before Pearl Harbor, he has no idea just how much his mission will change his life forever. After catching the scrutinous attention of Gestapo Stengler, Zelly finds his Eagle Scout picture from Texas on the cover of a Nazi magazine published that year and realizes everything he knows about his life and family is a lie. As he struggles to unravel the conspiracy, additional non-sequiturs upset his sense of identity and even his sanity. The Germans employ Zelly's electronic skills to design and build the dreaded V-2 rockets. He wants to make them fly, but his mission urges him to save Allied lives. Working against time, Zelly must please both his German and American bosses, avoid Stengler's traps, and escape to return home. After pretending to be Zelly for years, how much of the original Fred will remain?