Melissa Creighton was never one to follow her father s admonitions, especially when, for some strange reason, he tells her not to go to the attic. So, being Melissa, she goes to the attic. There she discovers her beloved grandfather Philip Creighton s Civil War journal hidden in the bottom of a trunk. What she reads in his journal sparks her imagination and, burning with curiosity, she is determined to visit Howard Hill, the Petersburg, Virginia plantation where he spent so much time during the siege of Petersburg. Using her best little-sister wiles, she convinces her reluctant brother Alex to sneak away with her to find Howard Hill. When Melissa and Alex enter the abandoned plantation house, she senses at once that they are not alone. Soon, they encounter the unexpected including the malevolent presence that places their lives in danger. Despite that, they remain committed to finding answers to the puzzling questions that arise during their terrifying journey into the past. What they discover turns their lives upside down.