In 1861, Clarissa Montgomery was beside herself with grief as her husband, Charles, prepared to enlist in the Confederate Army. Raised by her Cajun grandmother in the bayous of Louisiana, Clarissa had learned the art of black magic, spells and incantations, though never really did believe in its power. But when she could not talk Charles out of going off to war, she resorted to the next best thing-she cast a spell to keep them all safe. Little could she have known the ramifications the frivolous little rhyme she just made up on the spur of the moment would have on their lives. A century and a half later, after the sudden death of her husband, the temptation to explore the historic Shenandoah Valley of Virginia was too strong for Claire LePaige to resist. Yet the closer to Shenandoah she found herself, the more eerily familiar the area seemed. And when she stumbled upon an old, ramshackle house by the river, Claire knew she had to have it even though it was rumored to be haunted by the ghost of a Civil War soldier. The children saw him . . . tried to convince her he was real. However, Claire no more believed in ghosts than she did in reincarnation. It took a series of unexplainable coincidences for Claire's resolve to crumble.