Tad Harper believes all orphans develop a sixth sense that tells them when something bad is going to happen. But that doesn’t mean he’s prepared to spend the summer with Martin Gorham, an old friend of his grandfather’s. And since refusing would mean losing his scholarship at school, Tad has no choice. He arrives at Mr. Gorham’s spooky mansion a few days later, but the only people there to greet him are the servants. When he finally meets the old man, Mr. Gorham makes it clear that he doesn’t care what Tad does as long as he stays away from him. With no friends and nothing to do, Tad knows it’s going to be a long, miserable summer.
Then he meets Karen Nelson, a girl who lives across the harbor. With Karen to hang out with, Tad thinks the summer might turn out better than he thought. But he soon discovers that Mr. Gorham has a tragic past—and that somehow, Karen is connected to it.