Eleven-year-old Matthew Hamilton-a.k.a. The Hamster-is new in town, and just about the first thing he does is get lost in the woods of Rathburn Park. It's a typical boneheaded thing to do, and Matt is trying to decide whether starvation is preferable to the embarrassment of a rescue party when a little dog trots past him. Matt senses that the dog wants him to follow, but as soon as they emerge from the trees, the dog vanishes.

Matt keeps wondering about the dog as he starts to learn more about the town's strange past. Owned by a wealthy family named Rathburn, the whole town burned down decades ago and was rebuilt nearby. The old ruins are still hidden in the forest, too rickety and dangerous to go near. But they are also best avoided for another reason-ghosts. Still, Matt can't resist looking for the dog, and as he's looking, he meets a girl dressed in antique clothes who calls herself Amelia Rathburn. Are she and the dog both ghosts? Or is there another explanation for the strange goings-on in Rathburn Park?