John Paddock does not tell anyone who his father is, but all of Old Street knows perfectly well he was not a Paddock. The haunted house on the hill above the village stands silent and seemingly deserted; where, the men of Old Street wonder, is the sorcerer Jayhaya, and what devilry is he up to in the outside world? When a cute college thrill-seeker comes to him seeking scary stories of the awful family of Mather, John and his cousin Thalia find themselves fighting a spectre from Castle House: and Thalia is slain. Not long after, John begins to hear her voice in his head, advising him on how to court the cute thrill-seeker. But on their first date, a walk in the woods, fog descends from Castle House, and wildered in the woods they find themselves entering the one place on earth that the son of Jayhaya does not want to be. Castle House itself, on Halloween night.