Elspeth and her best friend Nikki, two fourth-graders, have walked past the old, abandoned corner house for years on the way home from school. One day, they hear what they believe is the baying of a hound coming from the house. That is just the beginning of the often harrowing adventures that lead them to sneak into the house to find a dog that could be real, or could be spectral; might be friendly, might be dangerous...