Nearly a year after her son Cam goes missing from a playground, Eve Caleigh and her husband Gabe decide to leave London for a few months and move to Crickley Hall in the village of Devil's Cleave. Eve blames herself for their son's disappearance as she fell asleep on a park bench while he was playing and awoke to find him gone. They no sooner arrive than she hears a child's voice say 'mummy'. As they explore the village, they find a plaque in the local church in remembrance of those who died in the flood of 1943. They meet Percy Judd used to work at Crickley Hall as a grounds-keeper and learn from the local minister that 68 people lost their lives in a flash flood. As time goes on, Eve realizes there are ghosts in the house. During the Second World War Crickley Hall was an orphanage and Nancy Linnet, herself an orphan, arrives to work as a teacher for Augustus Cribben and his sister Madga who run the place. The Cribbens are no nonsense types who expect their rules to be followed. Nancy is appalled at Augustus' cruel punishment, particularly those directed toward Stefan, a young Jewish boy and tries to do something about it.
—garykmcd