The sudden death of their mother leaves Brandon and his younger sister Adelia alone and in search of a less expensive place to live than their hometown of Houston Texas. Brandon finds a large old mansion for rent in Blackmere, a small town 100 miles north. The house's owner, Mayla Blackmere, explains that her great-great grandfather Johnathon Blackmere Sr., a wealthy freed slave, purchased his family's freedom and brought them to Blackmere, the town he'd founded. The rent is too good to be true; they sign the lease, and a few days later they and some friends move in. No one can believe their good luck; they live in a luxurious old mansion for less than what they'd paid for their shoe-box-sized apartments. Their excitement begins to fade, however. It soon becomes apparent that their was a reason behind the low rent: a sinister one. Strange things begin to happen: unpacked boxes fall over. Dishes rattle. The ghost of a little girl appears in Adelia's room. Nervousness turns to horror when Brandon's best friend Jason dies mysteriously on the mansion's grand front staircase. As the weeks continue, Brandon and Adelia realize that there is more to the Blackmere's history than what they've been told. Brandon and Adelia must fight to save themselves from becoming the latest pawns in Mayla Blackmere's unholy scheme - and to stay alive when her brother John escapes from the basement.