Vianne Alexander's world is falling apart, so when she gets offered a job as a historical renovator in the Seacoast city of Portsmouth, New Hampshire, it seems like a dream come true. But as soon as she arrives at the forbidding Chateau de Sowles to start work, Corin, the unwelcoming groundskeeper, tells her that the job is off. Broke and with no place to stay, Vianne tries to convince him that the job must go on, but Corin remains insistent that she leave. Until she discovers something remarkable about the chateau... When a frightening event happens inside the house, Vianne wonders if maybe she should have heeded Corin's advice. But then she meets a mysterious young man hiding in the tower, and when he claims the chateau is his, Vianne resolves to stay and help him get it back. But is he everything he claims to be? And why was Corin so determined to send her away? Vianne must figure out the secrets of the chateau, and soon, before a treacherous act from the past destroys more lives, including her own.