Almost a year after settling down in Oregon, Coyote embarks on a cross-country road trip with her dad to scatter her mom's ashes, but the journey takes an unexpected turn when she realizes the secret to the chosen resting place lies in a lost book.

During the summer before fifth grade, Ferris Wilkey has her hands full with her little sister terrorizing the town, her Aunt Shirley moving into their basement and her grandmother seeing a ghost--one who has wild, impractical and illuminating plans.