Thirteen-year-old Rachel and her cousin Charlie become linked with the mad ghost of a fierce old lady, who is eerily involved in the upcoming Sunbonnet Queen contest about which Rachel dreams.
Twelve-year-old Gwen, an orphan who comes to live with the Mercy family, discovers that the house is haunted by the ghost of a sad-looking young girl and is determined to solve the mystery behind her appearances.
Prompted by the ghost of a young Seneca Indian girl, twelve-year-old Allie and her friend Dub are determined that the historical pageant celebrating the founding of their town tells the truth about the fate of the Seneca people who lived there during the Revolutionary War.