Ben gets the chance for a trip of a lifetime when his mum is invited to attend a big conference in Australia. In the midst of a drought, it's hot.
And it's dry. Drier than it's been for years. And it only takes a spark to set off a fire...
As world leaders gather and a student demo gathers pace, a small flame takes hold - and suddenly an unquenchable fire bursts into life and an inferno of flames up to l00 metres high tear through the streets, threatening homes and lives.
And in the smoke and confusion, an important general is kidnapped! Ben - just learning to fly - finds himself at the controls of a microlite and on the trail of the kidnappers...