403 Forbidden

What if money really did grow on trees? How would that affect the banking system? How would it affect the grower?

The Frisbys have been growing money for ten years on their island farm, and George has nearly perfected the art. Only one tiny flaw remains: a faint smell, undetectable except to animals.

Jane tolerates the temperamental money tree while worrying about the legality of growing money and her family’s safety. She also worries about the children. Daffy (18) is torn between careers in terrorism and economics (“How do we get from bad money to good money without going through hyperinflation?”), while 12-year-old Mike divides the world into soakers and soakees and wants to franchise the money tree.

Quite a few Frisby dollars are now circulating freely, and odd stories begin to appear in the media. The Secret Service takes notice and when forensic analysis proves dollars can be grown on trees, agents begin a top-secret search for the source, a search that soon turns international.

The value of paper money is threatened by this new “printing” source, while old money like silver coinage and new digital currencies like Bitcoin appreciate in value. The Frisbys, meanwhile, are busy with island life, until a series of events threatens their home and relationships with their neighbors.