When a hidden jump rope causes Johnny Ashton to stumble into nasty blackberry bushes, he takes vengeance on the family of neighbor twins Callie and Laurie. After an ambulance comes screeching to the house with sirens blaring and the driver announcing a fire at the mill, Johnny sneaks into the back of his father's work truck. Once there, they hear there are people trapped inside! What will Johnny do? Johnny wakes suddenly during the first night in his new tree house. What he sees through the window will bring him to a place he never imagined and requires great courage! When immigrant Irish brothers Tom and Nathan O'Reilly move into the 'haunted' house behind the Ashton's, Johnny is determined to make friends with them. He learns about their culture as they learn about his secret "problem." During the Plainsville Independence Day celebration, the three friends find themselves in a frightening predicament. To save the town, Johnny "Peppertoes" Ashton must overcome his greatest fear.