Kate McBride is desperate for a new position; recently fired, she's wrecked her car and exhausted the goodwill of her best friend. Fortunately, Jesse Reynolds is equally desperate to hire a new nanny for his wards at Blithe Hill. The estate is beautiful, and Kate longs to make it her home, but the children are feral, disappearing at odd hours of the night and whispering in their secret language. Kate is confident her expertise in child development and fondness for children will bring order to the chaos until the water ripples with no wind-she knows the signs-and she understands she's dealing with the bloody stain of a century-old murder and the presence of something cruel and malevolent. As Kate ventures deeper into Blithe Hill's secrets, eager to decode the ghost's intentions, she stumbles into the shadows of her own past, and the children understand. She can't keep them safe.