Esme's relief at finding refuge soon turns to despair when Gabriel is sent to boarding school, leaving her alone in their grandfather's unhappy home. But the house isn't as empty as it first appeared and Esme, with her unusual gift of being able to see spirits, begins to encounter the ghosts of young women in the abandoned rooms and dark corridors of the rectory. The women are trapped between this world and the next, seeking help from Esme and leaving her with a mystery to solve if she is to stand a chance of establishing a peaceful, happy life.