Several months after the tragic events set in motion by bully Betty Glengarry, Annabelle McBride is struck by lightning during a powerful summer storm, leaving her with heightened senses that give her a new understanding of animals and help her learn about compassion and forgiveness.

With World War II raging overseas, Toby, a shell-shocked WWI veteran, patrols the hills outside of Wolf Hollow, Pennsylvania, and no one knows why. Everyone is scared of him, except for twelve-year-old Annabelle. When new girl Betty Glengarry tries to take Annabelle's money, Toby comes to her rescue and makes the bully leave. Then Betty accuses Toby of a crime he didn't commit, so Annabelle vows to clear Toby's name.

After their parents' deaths, siblings Liza and John Carroll are placed in the care of their uncle, a traveling con artist who scams the grieving with fradulent spirit photographs, until they arrive at a Spiritualist commune where the barrier between the living and the dead is very thin.