Cousins Jack and Rose have been sent to live on their grandmother's farm for the summer. Jack likes to terrify Rose with stories of Shadow-Town, where creatures called Whisperers force the zombie-like victims of the Sleeping Sickness to work for them. These aren't just stories, and the cousins' grandmother warns them to stick to the road when traveling. But the bickering cousins, goaded by Jack's wild friend Tamlin, end up daring one another onto a much more dangerous path. Before they get very far, Tam disappears.