An inheritance with a twist... A wanderer and confirmed loner, Francine Pond is not thrilled to inherit her great-aunt True's sprawling mansion. She's even less pleased to learn she is required to solve a mystery involving a series of clues contained in True's will. And she only has seven days to complete the task. Complicated by life-sized games, ghosts, and a cast of improbable tenants... Pond is not alone in this house of oddities. In addition to a teenaged storyteller and an enigmatic chimney sweep, she is joined by Ferdinand, a mysterious man who wants to help her in her mission for reasons known only to himself and his beloved dog. Unsure who to trust... Between a rogue circus performer and her elephant, a vengeful ringmaster, meddling neighbors, and a bewildering series of quests, Pond begins to doubt if she'll ever solve the twisted-and sometimes deadly-puzzles and regain her freedom. But is there anywhere to go if the apocalypse really has already come to Baltimore? Or will she have to stay, no matter the cost, to save herself and the misfits who might have become her friends?