During a summer with their cousin, siblings Portia and Julian discover a mysterious, half-submerged ghost town called Gone-Away Lake. There, they befriend two eccentric elderly siblings, Minnehaha and Pindar, who live among the decaying Victorian houses and share captivating stories of the town's glamorous past. Together, the children and their new friends uncover old secrets, hidden treasures, and the enduring magic of a forgotten place, weaving a timeless adventure about friendship across generations and the power of imagination.