Masterminds begins in the small town of Serenity, New Mexico—population 185. The story is told from the perspective of five middle-grade classmates who are all about 13 years old: Eli Frieden, Amber Laska, Malik Bruder, Hector Amani, and Tori Pritel. Each chapter corresponds to the point of view of one of these five teens. Eli begins the narrative by describing his town and notes that nothing bad ever happens in Serenity. The town has no crime, no unemployment, and no poverty: “We’ve got the three Essential Qualities of Serenity citizens—honesty, harmony, and contentment” (9). Most of the adults work for the Plastics Works factory, which makes traffic cones. Everyone is very civic-minded, and the whole town is wrapped up in planning the festivities for the annual Serenity Day celebration. Because the town is so small, Eli’s father is both the mayor and the school principal.

Randy Hardaway, Eli’s best friend, is a prankster who often gets Eli into trouble. On this particular day, Randy has just accidentally lodged a boomerang in the family’s swimming pool filter and is now looking for something more interesting to do.