The transformation of Penelope Brigid Goode begins after a near-death experience on her 30 th birthday while skiing on a mountain in Maine. Strange visions creep up on her like a dream-the spirits of her recently deceased dog and the mother she hardly knew. Ghost owls cast shadows of premonition. When the number three occurs and reoccurs, Pennie fears for her sanity, especially while she and her uncle survey a graveyard near the former Home for the Feeble-Minded. Here she senses her first vibrations-spirits of the Malaga Island settlement buried here after a forced exile over a century ago. Despite warning signs and against her best instincts, she rushes headlong into a relationship with the developer who is excavating near the graves. Through a slow unearthing, Pennie uncovers the past and recognizes the power of her dreams, the haunting history of Malaga Island, and her fight for justice and the truth.