It's a beautiful Saturday morning, but Ben (13), Jonas (14), Leonie ("Leo," 14), Sophie (11) and Özzi (13) could care less. They're in detention and have to spend the day at school. Ben's dad Professor Funke is minding them, but he's also got to give an astronomy class to a bunch of teens, the only other children in the school. When the detainees hear a loud bang, they become suspicious, especially when Funke doesn't return. What they see in the astronomy class freezes their blood: masked men screaming at the students and herding them into a corner of the room. When they try to leave the building, the kids discover that all the exits are locked, and explosives attached to the doors and windows? They learn what's behind all this when they find Funke: the gangsters are after the professor's invention, the nanotron, which can be used to control people's minds. After Funke is tricked into turning himself in to the thugs, it's up to Ben and his fellow detainees to use their wits and cunning. They've got to outfox the gangsters, save Funke and the students, and prevent the nanotron from falling into the wrong hands. And they've got only 13 hours to do so.