Thanks to the house tamer Hulda Larkin, the spirit of the boy who settled in Wimbrel House was pacified. The owner of the house, Merritt, realized his unusual ability to hear the thoughts of every animal and plant. Suffering from insomnia due to an uncontrollable cacophony of voices, Merritt begins to study his complex ancestry. He and his former housekeeper learn that Hulda's good friend and director of the Boston Institute of Keepers of Enchanted Rooms has disappeared. Mrs Larkin becomes a candidate for the vacated position, and her competition is a stranger who has a suspicious interest in Wimbrel House - and is connected with her old enemy. While Merritt tries to establish a connection with the family that exiled him, and Hulda plunges into the secrets of the institute, the two become closer than ever. …