On the shores of the Dark Sea there is a town called Gloom. Clouds rarely part over its roofs, and even less often do smiles touch the faces of its inhabitants. In this city there lives a boy named Rory. He has a mother and a good friend, Izzie, who (it seems) is just a little bit of a witch. He also recently got a job as a footman in the creepy mansion of the mysterious Lord Foxglove, and now his life has become even more gloomy. Why does the owner never leave the basement? Why does the butler look so much like some kind of animal? What is hidden behind the scarlet door, the drawing on which seems to be alive? And most importantly: why doesn't Rory (and, as it turns out, all the other inhabitants of the Gloom) cast shadows anymore? It seems that only Rory and Izzie can find the answers to all these questions. And they need to hurry, because otherwise there will soon be big trouble...