Davia is afraid of many things: death, ghosts, unfamiliar places, and the possible return of her mom's cancer. But she can?t avoid these fears now. Far from their Michigan home, Davia and her parents are temporarily living in Louisiana to assist with the in-home hospice care of her elderly Great Aunt Mari. Everything about the old woman and her spooky-looking plantation home terrifies Davia. And when she encounters Emilie, the tortured ghost of a well-to-do adolescent girl from the nineteenth century, she is even more frightened. To her surprise, Emilie seems eager to have Davia for a friend, but the ghost is unpredictable and difficult. Gradually, Davia begins to learn secrets about Emilie and her own family's past from Aunt Mari?stories of premature endings and regrets. As Aunt Mari's health deteriorates, she and Davia become closer. Together, they hope to release Emilie's spirit from the mansion and the world of the living.