Bobby Lorman is a High School freshman, and bully-bait. His struggle to cope is compounded with guilt when his chief bully forces him to commit a crime. He must keep his transgression secret to avoid disappointment from his parents and prosecution from the authorities. His religious faith is tried as he seeks God's forgiveness, but can't bring himself to confess to people. When he is sent for the summer to his aunt and uncle's bed-and-breakfast near Natchez, Mississippi, he is introduced to an ancient wisdom that could help him. But to follow this new path he must face new bullies, religious censure from the community, and the ghosts that haunt a local Indian mound.