In the autumn of 1920, a murder-suicide shakes the residents of Washington Square. Officer Jim Abbott doesn't realize the return of his shellshock is only the beginning of his concerns. Jim is assigned to keep tabs on the surviving child, Ernest Hart, who appears to be haunted by the recently departed murderer.

Neighbor Francesca Wilton grows closer to Ernest during her temporary guardianship of him, but his deteriorating emotional state reveals there is more to the seven-year-old than she expected. Then a loss of her own throws her life into further turmoil.

As the haunting looms closer, Francesca involves a friend gifted with telepathic and astral powers, as well as a skilled medium from the neighborhood to rid Ernest from his father's oppression. In their attempt to save Ernest, Jim becomes entangled in the women's unconventional abilities on a level he never expected.